David and Marie Bird have been KFC Franchises for 30 Years and now a second generation Maddy Bird-Williams and Craig Williams are part of the business.

The Bird Group also owns the Ararat, Hamilton, Horsham, Maryborough, Mt Gambier Marketplace, Mt Gambier City, Portland and Warrnambool stores.

Mr Bird said opening a store in Stawell has "been on the radar" for many years.

"A long time ago I nearly bought the site where McDonalds is, but the economics didn't quite work," he said.

"In the last 10-15 years things have changed dramatically and we are ready to expand.

"We will open Stawell and then my builders here will then go to Naracoorte and build one there and then we will build a second store in Warrnambool next year."

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Mr Bird said construction of the new store was already a couple of weeks behind.

"We have found the materials are hard to come by, it is are coming along," he said.

"Our builders have been working for me for over 20 years so they know exactly how to make KFC stores so I have all the faith in reaching the completion date."

Hiring for the establishment has started, with locals a priority.

"We are hiring now, we are looking for a full management as quickly as possible," Mr Bird said.

"We are also looking for around four to five full timers and 30 casuals.

"Once we open Stawell we (The Bird Group) will have around 550 employees."

Despite owning multiple establishments in the region, Mr Bird said the store would work autonomously.

"We want to be self-sufficient in everything that we do and employ people from town," he said.

Maddy Bird-Williams said The Bird Group was "excited" to be coming to town.

"Stawell is going to be a wonderful new addition to The Bird Group," she said.

"We are a fast food restaurant, but beyond that we are a business that is passionate about people."

KFC employs a huge number of youth Australia wide with 90% aged between 16 and 24.

"We are often the first employer for most young people and this comes with a huge responsibility to not only train and provide them with work and an income but also to nurture and develop them through their adolescence," Mrs Bird-Williams said.

The new store is located at 2-4 Ararat Road, Stawell with signage along the Western Highway.

To contact, call 0355 617 422.

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