KFC, Pizza Hut to open at Bluebird

KATHMANDU, March 20: The Bluebird Department Store at Thapathali is soon leasing out spaces to global fast food chains Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Pizza Hut.

Not only the KFC and Pizza Hut, Binod Tuladhar, proprietor and executive director of Bluebird Department Store, said The Yellow Chilli - a restaurant promoted by celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, is also opening an outlet at Bluebird.


Besides, the Bluebird premises will also have a coffee shop operated by Illy Coffee and ice-cream parlor by Baskin and Robins.

"For these plans to materialize, we have decided to close down the food court. A new grocery shop will open at the space occupied by the food court," Tuladhar added.

The new grocery store, according to Tuladhar, will be managed by a new team and will be bigger than the existing one. “The new grocery store will be spread over 8,200 sq.ft and probably start operation from mid-April (Nepali New Year),” he said, adding that the fast food chains, coffee shop and ice-cream parlor will probably open from June.

Bluebird Department Store - a subsidiary of Blue Star Group - is one of the oldest stores in the country dealing with branded items. “We are coming up in a grand manner to cater to the needs of our customers. We believe we will be able to attract more customers in the days to come," Tuladhar added.

The store, which was established in 1985, decided to lease out spaces as it was facing political as well as financial problems to continue its business. It has been serving its customers from two places in the valley -- Tripureshwar and Lazimpat. It had discontinued grocery stores at both the branches from November, 2010.

“Many people think that the department store itself has closed down. This is not the case. Only the grocery stores have been discontinued, other businesses of the mall are functioning as usual," Tuladhar added.

The grocery store at the Lazimpat branch, however, will not reopen. “Instead, the Blue Star Group has decided to establish an IT mall at a new building in Lazimpat,” Tuladhar added.

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