Apollo Group, new KFC franchisee in the Baltic States, plans to open the restaurant at the Ülemiste shopping center late on that month, with future locations in the offing as well.

"We are actively looking for new locations for our restaurants," said Mauri Dorbek, head of development at Apollo Group.

"That said, KFC's very strict standards for new locations make scouting difficult. We are only allowed to open a certain number of restaurants in the first few years," Dorbek added.

Apollo Group also operates the Apollo chain of cinemas in the capital, as well as in Tartu, Pärnu and Narva, Apollo bookstores, O'Learys [sic] sports bars, Blender juice bars and other entertainment outlets.

It won the KFC franchise for the Baltics earlier this year, and already has five restaurants under its ambit in Latvia and Lithuania. The group says it hopes to employ up to 1,000 people across the three countries within the next three years.

KFC had already come to Latvia in 2015, though Apollo says its new concept restaurant in Riga which opened last week boasts a fresh décor, self-service, a new menu and other potential attractions.

Apollo Group's majority owners are Ivar Vendelin and Margus Linnamäe. The latter owns Postimees Grupp, one of two major private media groups in Estonia, as well as the Terve Pere Apteek  pharmaceuticals group.

Founded by Colonel Harland Sanders in the U.S. in the 1950s and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, KFC is the world's second-largest restaurant chain by sales after McDonald's.

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