Town is on KFC bucket list as firm looks to open No4

News that KFC is looking to open its fourth branch in Ashford is another indicator that national chains seem to like to go in for multiple outlets in and around towns

Finger lickin’ fast food chain KFC is on the search for premises for new drive-thru restaurants in Kent.

And the towns is where the restaurant group wants to build new stores includes Ashford, which already has three KFC outlets.

The take-away is prospecting for seven sites in the county, including south Ashford, west Maidstone, south Chatham, Gravesend, Sevenoaks, Bluewater and Swanley.

In the county town and Bluewater, the chain is looking for a location on an A-road, while in Ashford it wants to be close to the Designer Outlet.

The criteria for Gravesend is to be close to a retail park or supermarket while KFC wants to be close to a retail centre in Swanley.

There are no specific locations in mind for Sevenoaks or Chatham.

A spokesman for KFC said that no concrete plans had been put in place, and the firm was merely exploring its options in Kent.

KFC currently has 850 branches across the UK but wants to open another 400.

They are appealing for people to point out sites for development and offer a finder’s fee.

Sites from pubs to petrol stations, high streets to hotels are among those being investigated.

KFC’s three existing restaurants in and around Ashford are located in the lower High Street of the town centre, a driver-thru at the Eureka Leisure Park and in Beaver Road.

What do you think? Write to Kentish Express, 34-36 North Street, Ashford, TN24 8JR or email kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk

From top, KFC at the Eureka Leisure Park, on the corner of Christchurch Road and in Lower High Street