Kebhouze eyes further London expansion

The international kebab house brand, Kebhouze is targeting 15-20 London sites over the next four years and an eventual UK estate of 40-45 stores. 

Kebhouze launched in Italy in December 2021 and has opened more than 20 stores there over two years, plus one in Spain. 

Kebhouze made its UK debut in December with its largest site yet, over three storeys in London’s Oxford Street, also offering interactive arcade games and table football. 

Speaking on their growth

Co-founder, Giulio Paternò said: “Our plan is to develop and expand all over the country and we hope to open a second site by the end of this year. I think we’ll need to open at least five in London before moving out, with the end of 2025 or start of 2026 for a first regional site. I think we can open 15-20 in London over the next four years and we can have up to 40-45 stores across the UK as kebabs are something you can put almost anywhere."

Paternò believes that: "There’s a vacuum in the market, we’ve seen the opportunity, and we want to take it.” 

Paternò said having launched in “one of the busiest periods of the year in one of the busiest streets in the world”, the store has been “packed since the first day” and had “amazing feedback”. 

Speaking on the opening on Oxford Street, Paternò said: “We chose a busy high street and a three-storey store with a big mascot on the roof so it’d be very visible and easier to make people aware of our arrival. Of course, not all will be that big, but we’re currently looking at locations and are very well positioned in high streets and shopping centres. Opening a new brand in a city like London is not so easy because it’s full of so many brands and big chains that are key players all over the world – it’s like the Champions League of the food industry."

Speaking on their menu, Paternò said: "We also offer a kids meal and we’re aiming for a family-orientated format. Most importantly, we had some good feedback from the Muslim community in London.” Following this, and coinciding with the start of Ramadan, Kebhouze took the decision to move to a 100% halal menu. “All our kebab meats have always been halal, but in Italy we had a few ingredients that weren’t, which in London we have removed,” 

Paternò said. “We’re watching everything that happens in our London store for changes we might want to make to what we offer in Italy. We’re focusing on the UK and Italy as our main markets. France and the Netherlands could be good markets for us, and the US could be interesting, but not at the moment.”

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