UAE-based halal fast-food chain franchisee Chicking Indonesia has signed a master franchise agreement to open 20 outlets, starting with Java and Sumatra.

Competing with major international brands like Burger King, KFC and McDonald’s, Chicking serves fried chicken and related products.

The master franchise agreement is between BFI Management (DMCC), the franchise management division of Chicking, and PT Ayam Top Dubai for the Indonesian market. Chicking founder and Al Bayan Group MD AP Mansoor says the company will be opening its first European outlet in London next month as part of an aggressive global expansion.

“We currently have 100-plus outlets in nine countries, and the plan is to reach 500 by 2020,” says Mansoor, who founded the brand 16 years ago.

“In the UAE we will be opening three more outlets within a couple of months to add to the 17 we already have. We are very confident about the expansion in Southeast Asia after entering Malaysia last year.”

DMCC CEO Fariq Halim says the appointment of an Indonesian master franchise is a major milestone. Shops will be opened throughout Indonesia, with its growing Muslim population of 200 million people. The flagship outlet will open in Jakarta by the end of the year, and PT Ayam Top Dubai will aim to have 20 outlets within five years.

PT Ayam Top Dubai was founded by Raymond Bambang Widjaja with Hengki Setiawan and Hermanto Simon, who collectively have more than 75 years’ experience in doing business in Indonesia and Australia.

“Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world and is one of the key markets we have been monitoring,” says Widjaja, who has F&B business and master franchises for national and international brands in Indonesia and Australia.

“The QSR industry in Indonesia is diverse and predominantly controlled by domestic brands. It is a competitive and challenging market, but we believe we have the right partners to make Chicking a leading brand in Indonesia.”