Markham, Ontario, April 23, 2018 – Mary Brown’s Chicken & Taters has announced a rebranding heading into the national chain’s 50th anniversary.
Mary Brown’s has 140 locations coast-to-coast across Canada and has had same store sales increases every year for the past 14 years. They are Canada’s largest chicken QSR and one of Canada’s fastest-growing franchises.
So why rebrand?
Hadi Chahin, President and COO of Mary Brown’s, explains the rationale behind the new look, “In a very competitive marketplace, the need to stay relevant is always there. Mary Brown’s needed to freshen its look to appeal to millennials as a key market segment, but also to show our loyal Guests that we are passionate and excited for the future.”
Rather than a total revamp, the brand has undergone a ‘facelift’, choosing vivid orange and warm blue as the main colours in the palette. Chahin says not only are they fresh, appetizing colours, they also pay tribute to Newfoundland & Labrador, where the brand originated in 1969. “The orange represents the sunrise and the warmth and hospitality of Newfoundlanders. The rich aqua blue represents the ocean surrounding the island.”
The biggest change to Mary Brown’s is its store interiors. They are totally rejuvenated in the new colours, modernized, energized, even trendy. It’s a huge leap for the chain. The rebranded stores feature a full wall mural of Newfoundland’s iconic colourful row houses. There is also lots of branding around Mary Brown’s Made Fresh from Scratch slogan, showing how the food is prepared by hand from whole, fresh chicken, fresh potatoes and top quality ingredients. Chahin says, “Mary Brown’s is real food, handcrafted in each store daily. We want to tell that story to everybody who walks in the door.”
Mary Brown, the woman who founded the brand’s southern fried chicken recipe, remains an integral part of the logo. Some say Mary IS the brand. Tony Samuelson, Vice President of Operations, explains, “There is a lot of trust in that cameo, in Mary, especially in Newfoundland. You can’t buy the kind of goodwill we have in our home province.”
The logo also features a maple leaf – a testament to the brand’s Canadian heritage. Chahin explains, “So many companies claim to be Canadian, but Mary Brown’s truly is, through and through. We are 100% Canadian. We support local Canadian farmers. We believe this is important to our Guests.”
Mary Brown’s has doubled its store count in the last 10 years and has ambitious growth targets, aiming for 200 stores by 2020, including development overseas. Chahin summarizes, “It’s an exciting time for Mary Brown’s. Everyone is talking about our brand. We’ll be 50 next year, but in many ways it feels like we’re starting fresh – so to speak.”
For more information:
Darlene Giles, Creative Director
Mary Brown’s Chicken & Taters