Ambitious, young and crazy about chicken. Maud Mol (29) runs her chicken empire ‘De Kipperij’ from her office in Oudenbosch. In just four years, she opened twenty-five stores in the Netherlands with her franchise formula, four of which in the past month. As far as Maud is concerned, there is no end in sight. “I would like to expand to Belgium and Germany.”
A few years ago, Maud developed a whole range of chicken delicacies on her chicken grill. At the age of 22, she opened her first store in the De Burcht shopping center in Breda.
“The first weekend after the opening, all stores had to close due to the corona measures. We couldn’t have thought of a better time for ourselves. Because from then on, home deliveries immediately went through the roof,” says Maud.
After two years of testing, tasting and fine-tuning in Breda, the first franchise location was opened in Tiel in 2021. There are now stores in Groningen, Maastricht and Hengelo, among others. The most recent fortresses were opened this month in Hoofddorp and Vught. De Kipperij is now the second largest chicken franchise in the Netherlands.
“The end is nowhere in sight.”
The entrepreneur grew up in Stampersgat. “I am a real Brabantian. When I was a dancer, I loved carnival and I still consider myself a real Burgundian.” Together with her husband Jacco, Maud has big plans for the future. “We want to continue to grow with our store chain. The end is not yet in sight.”
Everything still smells new in the businesswoman’s office building on Bosschendijk in Oudenbosch. “We still have to dress it up a bit, because we have only been here since May this year. But it is a nice place to further expand our company.”
“People in all cultures love chicken.”
Maud decided at a young age that they wanted to set up their own retail chain. Maud: “I trained for childcare. When I graduated, it turned out that there was hardly any work available at the time. The choice to start our own business was quickly made.”
It was Maud who came up with the idea to sell chicken products. “People in all cultures love chicken. You can vary it endlessly and it is more sustainable than beef or pork. I love it myself.”
According to Maud, home delivery from the stores contributes significantly to the success of her formula. “We are quite unique because we are open on Sundays. People like convenience and so the weekend is one of the busiest days in terms of delivery.”
Although the store chain works with antibiotic-free chicken, a complete switch to the Beter Leven quality mark with one star is not an option for the time being, according to Maud. “I don’t think the market is ready for this because meat is already very expensive. Moreover, the method of slaughter is not halal and I don’t want to exclude customers. Conscious consumers who want to eat organic are already choosing the butcher.”
“I also think it is important to know what is happening on the work floor.”
Maud regularly rolls up her sleeves to help out in a branch. “It was recently very busy in Vught and then I helped out. I enjoy speaking to customers and I also think it is important to know what is happening on the work floor.”
The entrepreneur still has to think about what will be on the table for Christmas. “Definitely something with chicken, but also other things.”