Aditya Birla Group acquires KA Hospitality: How the acquisition fits right into the conglomerate's bold F&B strategy

Indians love eating out. In fact, the country’s food service market is expected to reach $79.65 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 11.19 per cent from $41.1 billion in 2022, according to the Food Service and Restaurant Business Report 2022-23, by consultancies Francorp and restaurantindia.in.        

For those looking to eat out, here’s more good news. Aditya Birla New Age Hospitality (ABNAH), the hospitality arm of the Aditya Birla Group, has acquired a 100 per cent stake in KA Hospitality, adding seven restaurants across four brands—Hakkasan, Yauatcha, Nara Thai and CinCin—to its portfolio. While KA has franchise rights to the first three global brands, it owns CinCin.  

“We continue to believe in the remarkable potential of the premium casual dining space, spurred by rising disposable income and evolving lifestyles of the Indian consumer. The intersection of growing affluence and the desire for new-age, high-quality dining experiences presents an incredible growth opportunity,” Aryaman Vikram Birla, Director of Aditya Birla Management Corp. Pvt. Ltd and Founder of ABNAH, said in a statement.  

The four brands are positioned across the customer value pyramid, spanning the mid-market to premium segments. Hakkasan, present only in Mumbai, is a Michelin-starred brand from London serving modern Cantonese food. Yauatcha is an award-winning dim sum teahouse from London that has branches in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata. Nara Thai (with two branches in Mumbai) is a brand that captures the essence of authentic Thai cuisine. And CinCin, present only in Mumbai, is a modern Italian brand designed to reflect the vibe and culture of the ‘La Dolce Vita’ lifestyle.   
“Dynamism is the lifeblood of the food industry, and our plan is to broaden the reach of these brands and take these distinctive dining experiences to other cities,” Birla said.  

These brands will strengthen the firm’s presence in the F&B space. ABNAH recently joined hands with chef-restaurateur Rahul Akerkar to build a chain of premium casual dining restaurants across India. The first of them is likely to open in Mumbai in a couple of months. It also has Jolie’s, a members-only club in Mumbai’s Worli.  
For the millions of Indians planning to eat out, there is much to look forward to.   
     
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