'I worked as a KFC cook while at school - now I'm opening my 50th franchise in Shrewsbury'

What started as a part-time job while studying at school has led one fast food restaurant owner to open his 50th KFC in Shrewsbury.

Acky Khan is chief executive of Gastronomy Restaurants, a franchise firm which operates 32 Starbucks and now 50 KFC restaurants, mainly across Wales and the Midlands.

His latest has launched on Hazledine Park, the new retail hub housed on the former pitch and putt course in Meole Brace, a stone's throw from Shrewsbury Town's stadium.

It has been a long journey to reach this landmark and one that continues to grow as Gastronomy is due to open its 51st KFC in Lancashire by the end of this year and another five during 2027.

"I've been with KFC for more than 30 years," Acky told the Star.

"I worked part-time as a cook when I was still in school during my O-levels and A-levels.

"I just loved the brand and I couldn't do something that I didn't love. I always wanted to have a KFC and I got the opportunity to open one in 1996 so I did."

Acky used his savings amassed from working as a minicab driver in East London to open his first franchise three decades ago but was keen to expand so contacted a friend of his who was already building a business in this part of the world.

"A friend of mine had five franchise KFC stores around the North Wales coast and one in Shrewsbury so I came up here and in 2006 I bought those six stores off him," he said.

"I had one KFC in London for nearly 10 years and I always wanted to develop the brand so that's why I came up here."

Gastronomy now employs around 2,500 people across its 82 franchise sites and runs three KFC restaurants in Shrewsbury and sister sites in Oswestry and Telford while the new Starbucks on Hazledine Park is also theirs.

Acky acknowledges that his brace of new cafés are in a corner of Shrewsbury already well catered for when it comes to casual dining as they sit across the road from Meole Brace Retail Park.

But he says he hopes the new Hazledine Park will offer relief from what can become a very congested part of the town at weekends.

He added: "I wanted this site to be the 50th and that's the way it has landed. It feels like destiny in a way. I think this will do very well. We have a good reputation as being one of the best openers of stores.

"I am not too worried about the kind of money it takes, my concern is whether local people say 'We love this KFC'. We are now in a position where we can keep building in the Midlands and further afield in England.

"We like organic growth and to go places where people don't currently have access to KFC. It's a bit of a risk but that's what we do."

Acky says those sites which have not been as successful and closed were based in town centre, something he feels have been killed over the past three decades.

"We have closed a few as communities and high streets have changed over the years," he said

"I remember back before the credit crunch, there were huge rents on high streets. There is the issue with accessibility with high streets and this is why retail parks are proving so popular because you can park, do your shopping and leave.

"If you look at high streets, parking has been an issue and rents have been too high. We've killed high streets over the past 30 years and that's where we've had to close some sites."