Restaurant chain Artcaffé Group is stepping up its countrywide expansion targeting new outlets outside Nairobi in what it describes as a significant expansion period.
The expansion will see the homegrown brand open new outlets in key urban centres and targeting 700 new jobs
Artcaffé Group is majority-owned by the US private equity firm Emerging Capital Partners (ECP), which acquired its stake in late 2018 for an estimated Sh3.5 billion.
The move comes at a time when competition in Kenya’s hospitality industry is intensifying, with restaurants and cafés increasingly occupying spaces previously dominated by entertainment joints, particularly in Nairobi.
Artcaffé, which began operations in 2008, has expanded from a single outlet to more than 60 restaurants and 10 food markets across Kenya.
It recently opened outlets in Kisumu and Voi with three new locations in Kianda (Nairobi), South C and Ngong Town set for his month
It said Thika Town, Tatu City, Loresho in Nairobi), Nakuru and Eldoret are next on line.
The expansion reflects the changing nature of Kenya’s hospitality market, where consumers are increasingly seeking spaces that combine food, socialising, work and entertainment.
In Nairobi, restaurants have increasingly become social hubs, with cafés and eateries taking up spaces that were previously used by traditional entertainment outlets.
