Long-term KFC franchisee Gastronomy and sister company Café Fortune have appointed Mary-Helen Waldron as group people director. Waldron joins the business after more than four years with Prezzo, most recently serving as people director at Brava Hospitality Group. She joined Prezzo following more than four years at Greene King, where her roles included two years as HR director for its Local Pubs division. Earlier in her career, she also held positions with Gala Bingo and Rank Group.
The appointment comes as Gastronomy continues an ambitious expansion programme. Last September, the company agreed a deal to more than double its KFC restaurants over the next five years, adding more than 50 restaurants.
Supported by HSBC, Gastronomy plans to operate more than 100 KFC restaurants across the UK by 2030. The group opened its first KFC restaurant in Aberystwyth in 2007 and has since grown to around 45 sites across Wales, the Midlands, the North West and Shropshire. Meanwhile, Café Fortune currently operates around 20 Starbucks stores across the UK.
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