This thread focus on the first McDonald's restaurant in Vietnam.
McDonald's to open 700 new restaurants in China by 2013
- Lin Dian-wei and Staff Reporter
- 2011-04-30
- 10:23 (GMT+8)
US restaurant giant McDonald is confident in China's growth market potential and plans to expand. Picture: Growing numbers of Chinese like to eat at McDonald's. (Photo/CNS)
McDonald's, the world largest chain of fast-food restaurants, plans to open 700 new outlets in China by 2013 in a bid to strengthen its presence in the country.
Betty Tian, a spokesman for the chain in China, said McDonald's, which currently operates 1,300 restaurants, would also increase its employees to 50,000 to manage the expansion. This would include hiring college graduates to fill more than 1,000 managerial positions.
Under the plan, the company aims to open 22 new restaurants per month starting from May: equivalent to opening one new restaurant for each business day.
McDonald's, which lags behind the Kentucky Fried Chicken Corp. in terms of market share in China, plans to speed up its growth to keep pace with the expanding domestic market.
Tseng Qishang, chief executive officer of McDonald's China, said the fast-food chain had increased its capital expenditure in the country by 25 percent in 2010, which was channeled into launching restaurants, drive-through services, as well wireless Internet access services.
However, most market analysts predicted an uphill battle for McDonald's in its quest for market domination as the Chinese market is already crowded with several western fast-food chains, including KFC, Burger King and Subway, as well as several local chains, such as Real Kunfu and Yonghe Soy Milk.
They said only those who could cater to the tastes of consumers by offering innovative food items would thrive in this market of 130 million Chinese consumers.
References:
Tseng Qishang 曾啟山