Hill says KFC’s $350-m investment signals new era of growth

As KFC officially opened its 43rd branch on Saturday in Morant Bay, St Thomas, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Aubyn Hill declared that the $350-million project reflects a broader wave of rapid development happening across the island that will make Jamaica “unrecognisable” within the next three years.

Addressing the official opening of the restaurant — the first business to begin operations at the newly constructed Morant Bay Urban Centre — Hill said the investment signals a major shift in how development is unfolding across the island, particularly outside of traditional commercial hubs.

“This investment shows that there is expansion beyond the capital, Kingston, and into communities where both positive-minded persons and some sceptics wonder when and if important and prominent investments will ever reach these areas,” Hill said.

He described the development as part of a wider strategy of balanced economic growth aimed at spreading opportunity more evenly across the country, positioning communities such as Morant Bay as new centres of commerce and opportunity.

“This is a kind of economic decentralisation which helps communities, that are [so] positioned, to benefit from increased business activity and employment… it’s a kind of development that suggests to others that this place is changing. This is a significant investment. And I’m happy to see KFC right here because you don’t build an urban centre and expect that next day it will all fill out. Banks are coming; some people who didn’t plan to come say, ‘Boy, I have to be here’ — and this is the way that this Government sees that we’re going to change communities to become investment centres,” said Hill.

The minister added that the pace of investment now taking shape across the island will soon transform Jamaica’s landscape, predicting major changes in the years ahead.

“We run governments well, and we want to make sure that as we do that, investors understand that there’s a great chance and there’s a great opportunity. I’m saying to you as a minister of industry, investment and commerce who has lived all over the place in the world: There’s an opportunity here. In three years you will not recognise this Jamaica. In three years — God willing we don’t get another Category 5 [hurricane] — with the kind of investment that we have, you won’t recognise this place, including you won’t recognise St Thomas because things are going to spread this way,” he declared.

The Morant Bay location represents an investment of more than $350 million and has created more than 50 jobs, most of which have gone to residents of the surrounding communities. It is KFC Jamaica’s 43rd restaurant islandwide, with 29 of those locations now operating outside of Kingston — a shift the company says reflects its long-term commitment to national expansion.

Mark Myers, managing director of Restaurants of Jamaica, said the decision to locate in Morant Bay was deliberate and rooted in confidence in the area’s potential.

“This opening is about more than adding another restaurant to the network. It reflects a deliberate decision to invest in communities beyond Kingston and to grow in places where opportunity and potential continue to emerge. When plans for the Morant Bay Urban Centre were first taking shape we saw an opportunity to be part of something transformational. We want to participate in the continued development of this parish, to invest early and to grow alongside the community — [and] that conviction is what brought us here,” he explained.

Myers said the company’s expansion drive is far from over, noting that additional locations are already in the pipeline as part of a wider strategy to strengthen KFC’s presence outside the capital city.

“I am pleased to announce that in the coming months we will be opening the doors to our new KFC locations in Salem [St Ann] and Negril [Westmoreland]. That further reinforces our commitment to expansion and, in particular, to rural expansion. And stay tuned, because there is even more to come,” he said.

He added that beyond physical infrastructure, the company remains focused on people and long-term community development, pointing to the brand’s deep roots in Jamaica.

“Moments like today are ultimately about people. Fifty years ago, few could have predicted how deeply the brand would grow alongside the country. Today, KFC Jamaica employs over 2,000 people across the island, with many team members choosing to build long-term careers with us. That longevity speaks not only to the strength of the brand but to the culture, opportunity, and sense of belonging our people have helped to build,” Myers said.

Source: Jamaica Observer