The Aditya Birla Group has added four restaurant brands to its hospitality portfolio to tap into the fast-growing fine dining segment.
On Tuesday, the group announced that it has acquired a 100 per cent stake in KA Hospitality, which brought brands like Hakkasan, Yauatcha, and Nara Thai into the country. Additionally, the company also owns the Cin Cin restaurant brand.
However, the deal size was not disclosed.
The Birla Group’s foray into hospitality is being driven by Aryaman Vikram Birla, who dabbled as a professional cricketer and set up a members-only club Jolie’s in Mumbai in 2021. Earlier this year, the group tied up with chef-restaurateur Rahul Akerkar to set up premium casual dining restaurants. The KA Hospitality takeover is the company’s first acquisition in the space.
“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,” said Aryaman Vikram Birla, Founder of Aditya Birla New Age Hospitality.
KA Hospitality was founded by Late Kishor Bajaj in 2011. It launched the Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Hakkasan on a franchisee model in Mumbai. This was followed by Yauatcha, a dim sum teahouse brand from London and Nara, a Thai food brand from Bangkok. Bajaj’s daughter Karyna later set up Cin Cin, the firm’s Italian restaurant brand.