Hero Image milestones

There is a story behind every success and a unique recipe for achieving it. In the case of AmRest, it is a story of passion, determination, and faith in people. It was not always easy; we have tasted both the bitter and sweet of building a business. In a market where change is constant, our people have shown a relentless desire to learn, adapt and grow.

Our story began in 1993 when a group of young American entrepreneurs, including Henry McGovern and Donald Kendall Jr. arrived in Poland, with the idea of starting a business. Their dream materialized in the form of a Pizza Hut franchise in the main square of the city of Wrocław.

Since then, we have grown our business in many other markets in Europe and established operations in China.

Milestones
2096 stores

2096

stores

8 brands

8

brands

22 countries

22

countries

Milestones

1993
The company is born with the first Pizza Hut in Poland

Our journey began in Wrocław, Poland – we opened our first Pizza Hut restaurant, became a franchisee and founded our first company, American Retail Systems (ARS)

Adding KFC to brand portfolio
We added a new brand to our portfolio: We welcomed guests to our first KFC restaurant in Poland, an instant success.
1995
1998
Entering the Czech market

Having built a proven track record in Poland, we expanded internationally through the acquisition of the Yum! business in the Czech Republic as the national operator of KFC restaurants.

Merger with YUM! Brands
AmRest NV was born through the merger of YUM! Brands and American Retail Systems. We had grown to a company with 3 200 employees!
2000
2005
Debut on the Warsaw Stock Exchange
In 2005, Yum! ceased to be a shareholder in the company. In April 2005 we successfully debuted on the Polish stock exchange. In the following year, our stock price doubled!
Adding Burger King and Starbucks to brand portfolio
In March we opened our first Burger King restaurant in Poland and we achieved another major breakthrough - the beginning of our partnership with Starbucks.
2007
2011
Purchase of La Tagliatella in Spain
We invested in Restauravia, a company that owned KFC stores and La Tagliatella, a chain of Italian concept casual dining restaurants in Spain. Through this acquisiton, we became also a franchisor of an equity restaurant brand.
Entering China with Blue Frog
Our portfolio expanded to include Chinese brand – Blue Frog. AmRest arrived in Shanghai, Beijing, and Nanjing!
2012
2015
Finaccess becomes the most significant shareholder
Finaccess became the most significant shareholder and new directors were appointed to the AmRest Board.
Managing 1000 restaurants
Finaccess increased its share in AmRest to more than 50%, thus becoming AmRest’s controlling shareholder. The total number of restaurants in our portfolio exceeded 1 000 for the first time!
2016
2017
Becoming master franchisor of Pizza Hut
We signed Pizza Hut Master Franchise Agreement which allowed us to start franchising Pizza Hut restaurants in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia. This was a big step for us to develop as a franchisor.
Celebrating 25th year / Listing on the Spanish Stock Exchange
We celebrated our 25th year with more than 2 000 restaurants, three new brands in our portfolio, and nearly 40 000 people on board! To further boost our growth, we transferred our holding company to Madrid, Spain, and listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange on November 21.
2018
2018
Acquisition of Sushi Shop
25 years after we opened our first restaurant, we signed the largest M&A deal in our history: an acquisition of Sushi Shop, the leading sushi brand in Europe.
Redesigning AmRest
The global pandemic forced us to slow down, but also created new opportunities. Our delivery channel grew significantly and we accelerated new digital solutions across the business. We also launched a more resilient and sustainable business model.
2020
2023
30th anniversary
We marked our 30th anniversary, recording an upward trend in sales throughout the years. We focus on further sustainable and profitable growth.

Milestones