Africa’s Famous Brands wants a (pizza) slice of the Asian QSR market

This follows the conclusion of master licence agreements with Mesra Retail & Café, which operates more than 800 Kedai Mesra forecourt convenience stores within Petronas filling stations in Malaysia. 

Famous Brands has brands such as Tashas, Mugg & Bean, Wimpy and Milky Lane. It operates in various parts of Africa, the Middle East, the UK and elsewhere. 

Steers is known for its flame-grilled burgers and chicken dishes, while Debonairs Pizza’s popularity stems from its innovative pizza combinations. 

Famous Brands will assist Mesra in rolling out the two brands to ensure operational efficiencies, consistency, product differentiation, the adoption of consumer-facing technology and authentic, localised customer experiences.  

Mesra, with support from Famous Brands, will develop a local supply chain to provide ingredients and products for use in the branded restaurants. 

Ambition to grow brands in different markets 

“We have entered into a long-term partnership to develop a nationwide network of Steers and Debonairs Pizza restaurants, reflecting our ambition to grow these strong brands across different markets,” comments Darren Hele, CEO of Famous Brands. 

“Mesra is an excellent local partner, thanks to its well-established presence, deep local knowledge and track record of serving local customer needs. 

“While Malaysia’s quick service restaurant sector is competitive, it has significant growth potential thanks to its entrenched culture of eating out and upper-middle-income demographic.” 

Adds Ian Cruddas, CEO of Mesra: “This marks a defining moment for Mesra as we expand our non-fuel portfolio and enter the food and beverage market for the first time. With Debonairs Pizza and Steers, we are bringing Malaysians greater choice, exciting flavours and accessible global favourites with a dining experience tailored to local tastes.” 

According to South Africa’s Business Day newspaper, the move into Asia comes as Famous Brands continues to look for growth outside Africa amid mixed conditions across its African operations.  

“In its latest annual report, the group said it had completed a restructuring of its business outside South Africa in 2024, splitting operations into Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and Africa and the Middle East (AME) regions to improve management focus and address different levels of risk,” Business Day reports.