CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY TO SELL FAST FOOD
By Adnews Staff
A group of financial and marketing heavy hitters are importing a chain of California fast food restaurants and an associated chain of coffee houses to Canada. Neville Kirchmann, who was president of Coca-Cola Beverages of Canada before going to South Africa in late 1992 to become Coke's president there, has returned to Canada to take charge of Koo Koo Roo Canada. Kirchmann is leading a group of investors who have signed a letter of intent with Los Angeles-based Koo Koo Roo, Inc. to set up a Canadian joint venture with the American company. They will be opening Koo Koo Roo California Kitchen restaurants and Arrosto Coffee Company shops across Canada. No one was available yesterday to say how advertising will be handled in Canada. In the U.S. Koo Koo Roo uses outdoor and magazine advertising done by Ad Marketing in Los Angeles. Koo Koo Roo, which went public in 1991, says in a release that it has enjoyed "double digit same-store sales growth" in the U.S. It has 15 Koo Koo Roo restaurants in California, one in Florida and two in Atlantic City, new Jersey. Six Koo Koo Roo restaurants have Arrosto coffee shops attached. Most of Koo Koo Roo's eateries are located within clusters of small restaurants, although the company recently began opening freestanding outlets. The other principals of Koo Koo Roo Canada are: Trevor Eyton, chairman of the Edper Group and Brascan; George Taylor, Former CEO of John Labatt Ltd.; financier Edwin Cogan, chairman of Cogan Integrated; and Craig Findlay who has been president of both mmmuffins Canada Corporation and Baskin-Robbins Canada.