NORWAY. KFC is seeking rapid growth nationwide as it prepares to make its full Norwegian market debut following the recent acquistion of local restaurant chain Fly Chicken by Apollo Group (in partnership with parent company MM Group).
Fly Chicken operates 19 locations in Norway, including one at Bergen Flesland Airport, the country’s second-largest gateway.
The modern Norwegian fast casual concept, founded in 2018, is renowned for its fried chicken, signature sandwiches, hot sauces and loaded fries, served across dine-in, takeaway and delivery. Turnover in 2026 reached €14 million.
Apollo Group plans to convert most Fly Chicken outlets into KFC restaurants and open an array of new locations as part of a €20 million investment in the country over the next five years. An obvious expansion opportunity lies in the airport sector – in common with its absence from the local market (since a long-closed single door in Frognerstranda, Oslo in the 1980s), KFC currently does not operate in any Norwegian airport.
Fly Holding is owned by the Sandvik family, Knut Nikolai Tønnevold Ugland and CEO Ronny Gjøse, the last-named a familiar figure in the airport food & beverage world.
Norway becomes the fifth KFC market where Apollo Group operates under a KFC franchise agreement.
Fly Chicken Co-founder and CEO Ronny Gjøse is continuing as CEO and leading the transition, conversion and development of the business in Norway.
Writing on LinkedIn this week, he announced the search for three key roles – Head of Marketing, Head of HR and Area Coach/Ops Manager – as a KFC Norway leadership team is built.
“This isn’t a job for someone who enjoys working from home,” he wrote. “It’s full speed at HQ, out in our restaurants and across the country. If you’re ready to get out from behind your desk, put on your trainers and help build something from the ground up, we want to hear from you.
“We’ll be bringing one of the world’s most iconic restaurant brands to Norway while building, converting and opening restaurants at the same time. It will be fast. It will be challenging. And it will be incredibly rewarding.
“The first Fly Chicken restaurants will convert to KFC later this year, with many more to follow, while we’re also opening brand-new restaurants across Norway.”
Commenting on the acquistion earlier, Apollo Group CEO Toomas Tiivel said: “This acquisition marks another important milestone in Apollo Group’s international expansion and further strengthens our position in Northern Europe.
“Norway is an attractive market with strong purchasing power, a stable economy and significant long-term potential. We see considerable opportunities to further develop the KFC brand by combining Fly Chicken’s local expertise with Apollo Group’s extensive experience in operating and expanding international restaurant concepts across multiple markets.”
Gjøse commented: “We built Fly Chicken into Norway’s leading fried chicken concept, scaling to 19 restaurants with a small, efficient team and strong systems, without compromising on quality.
“This transaction brings together complementary strengths, an established Norwegian platform and local know-how on our side, and one of the world’s strongest restaurant brands with Apollo Group’s international experience and resources behind it. I am proud of what we have built, and I look forward to taking it further together with Apollo Group and KFC.” 
