GDANSK, April 17 (Reuters) - Central European

quick-service restaurant operator Rex Concepts has set the

maximum price for its initial public offering at 17.50 zlotys

per share, the group said late on Thursday.

The master franchisee of the Burger King and Popeyes brands in

Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania has previously said it

expects gross proceeds of up to 560 million zlotys ($156

million) from the issuance of new shares.

It plans to use the funds to finance its business plan and

accelerate growth, possibly pursuing market consolidation in

Central and Eastern Europe or introducing new brands.

Under the offering, Rex Concepts will offer up to 32 million

newly issued shares. The selling shareholder, Rex Invest CEE,

will also offer up to 3.6 million existing shares.

The offered shares will constitute up to 37.34% of the

company's total shares once the issue is completed.

The book-building process among institutional investors and

subscription period for retail investors are scheduled for April

17-23.

Rex Concepts and the global joint coordinators of the IPO

intend to allocate between 10% and about 20% of the final number

of offered shares to retail investors.

The final pricing is due to be announced around April 24 and

the shares are expected to start trading on May 7.

($1 = 3.5972 zlotys)