Chandigarh-based Alchemist Group is scouting for private equity investments to fund its Rs 800 crore expansion plan of opening 1,200 odd outlets of its quick service restaurant chain Republic of Chicken by 2010. "The total investment in the chain by 2010 will be Rs 800 crore and we could be looking at private equity funding. We are sure the return on investment of each outlet will not be more than 18-22 months," Republic of Chicken Chief Operating Officer Tapan Sinha said. He said the company would be set up around 1,200 'Diner and Deli' counters by 2010 and is seeking the PE route for financing the plan. Sinha did not cite a time-frame for seeking the percentage stake the company would be divesting. The Chandigarh-based Rs 7,000 group diversified into the dining segment this year with the first two Republic of Chicken outlets in Delhi and is now planning a pan-India expansion in the next one-and-half year. "Of the new outlets planned, some will be Diner-cum-Deli stores and some will be just Delis," Sinha said. He said the company would begin expansion from Delhi and NCR region and then move on to the broader North Indian market in the state of Punjab and Haryana before setting up ventures across the country. The stores size would range from between 180 sq ft and 1,000 sq ft.