KFC is bringing its celebrated Kentucky Town experience to East Africa, with Kenya as the center. It will feature a merchandise collection and series of pop-up events shaped by Kenyan culture.
The global fast-food giant has announced the launch Kentucky Town 254 on October 20, which will run until November 15. The festival will blend food, fashion and entertainment.
It will include Kenyan-inspired menu at selected KFC restaurants, an exclusive apparel collection co-created by KFC and home_254, a Nairobi based, made-in-Kenya fashion house and four rotating weekend pop-ups across Nairobi malls.
“We didn’t want to bring Kentucky Town to Kenya and simply put a Kenyan name on it. We wanted Kenya to have a say in what Kentucky Town becomes,” Dorothy Muthoni Chief Marketing Officer at Kuku Foods East Africa, KFC’s franchisee in Kenya said.
The Kentucky Town 254 is a limited-edition menu that reimagines KFC’s signature chicken at selected KFC restaurants. It will feature; The Colonel’s Mandazi Burger, The Colonel’s Mandazi Pops, The Kentucky Choma Burger, Samosa Crunch, Catch These Masala Fries, Birthday Cake Krusher and One in a Melon Krusher.
It selected few pop-up shops across Nairobi County which include: The Junction Mall, ground-floor courtyard, Galleria Shopping Mall, parking area next to KFC, The Hub Karen, The Piazza and Garden City Mall, main entrance.
The pop-up shops will have a merchandise collection that includes are T-shirts, varsity jackets, sweatshirts, cozy sweatpants, jorts, shrugs and puffer jackets, with a styling corner and photo spot where visitors can try on photograph pieces from the range.
“Everything is designed and made in Kenya and hand-printed locally, so a Kentucky Town piece carries a little bit of home long after the campaign ends. That is what the brand stands for: wearable art that lets people carry Kenyan creativity and pride with them,” Job Brian Jura, founder of home_254 said.
KFC has partnered with home_254, to create a collective collection that embodies Kenyan pride. Kenya is KFC’s second largest African market after South Africa, with 48 franchise owned restaurants.