Tahir Group acquires the Barack Group's portfolio of KFC restaurants

The multi-award-winning Tahir Group has become the largest KFC operator in London after acquiring eight KFC restaurants, previously operated by the Barack Group of Companies, in a deal managed by franchise specialists at PKF Smith Cooper Corporate Finance.

Awarded KFC Franchisee of the year for the UK and Ireland in 2021 and 2022, the Tahir Group is a multi-brand franchised restaurant and property group based in London. The group has been established for over 45 years and, as well as KFC, it also operates the GDK and Starbucks brands.

Following the recent acquisition, the Tahir Group operates 41 KFC restaurants across London and the Midlands, making it the largest KFC operator in London.

Fazan Tahir, the owner of Tahir Group, said: “Acquiring the Barack Group makes a lot of logistical sense for us, strengthening our London heartland. The Tahir team and I are delighted to welcome the Barack team onboard and look forward to working with them; our ethos is to place people at the heart of everything we do. Our growth comes through achieving success together - by serving the communities we operate in through innovation, investing in people and delivering outstanding service to our customers.”

The specialist franchise team of PKF Smith Cooper’s Corporate Finance division, led by David Crump, advised the Tahir Group and project-managed the entire acquisition process. PKF Smith Cooper are leading UK advisers in the deal management of transactions in the franchise sector, having advised on over 80 franchise food and beverage assignments in the past 20 years.

Commenting on the transaction, David Crump, Corporate Finance Director at PKF Smith Cooper, stated: “It’s been a pleasure advising the Tahir Group, which is a recurring client for us, and we are delighted the transaction has completed. We confidently expect the “Tahir magic” to embrace the acquired staff and restaurants, and that the enlarged group will continue to thrive and grow – whilst retaining its sector-leading quality.”

Fazan continued, “The acquisition was a challenging process that I couldn’t have completed without the support and efforts of my team and advisers, PKF Smith Cooper, with whom I have worked on previous acquisitions. I contacted them at the outset of this process to once again secure their invaluable input, expert advice and deep sector knowledge.”