The Kuwait Food Co, also known as Americana, is holding a pitch for its media planning and buying account.

The owners of the Middle East franchises fast food chains KFC, Krispy Kreme and Pizza Hut has worked with MCN-owned Initiative MENA for the past eight years.

However, the Kuwaiti-owned conglomerate called the pitch following Gulf investment firm Adeptio’s acquisition of a majority stake in Americana on October 20.

The investment company, led by UAE-based Emaar Properties chairman Mohamed Alabbar, bought a 66.79 per cent stake in the firm from Kuwait’s Khorafi family for $2.4 billion, making it the biggest of Middle Eastern mergers and acquisitions transaction this year.

Ghassan Harfouche, MCN Group CEO, confirmed the account was out to pitch and that Initiative would be fighting to hold the account.

He said: “We’ve been working with Americana for maybe eight years. And Americana has been acquired by the [Al] Abbar Group. And based on this they are restructuring and they have invited a pitch. And Initiative is part of this pitch as well.”

Omnicom Media Group’s recently launched agency Hearts & Science is also pitching for the account.

As well as franchises, Americana owns its own range of branded goods.