“Asia represents a significant area of opportunity for McDonald’s to blend our global quality standards with local insights and expertise from partners who share our vision and values,” says Steve Easterbrook, McDonald’s President and CEO.
“This will allow McDonald’s to accelerate its growth and scale faster across diverse markets, placing us closer to our customers and the communities we serve. We’re in the midst of transforming our business and taking a strategic and thoughtful approach to enhance our ability to grow around the world. These actions build on our turnaround efforts and will advance local ownership, enable faster decision-making and achieve restaurant growth.”
China, Hong Kong and Korea collectively represent more than 2 800 restaurant locations, the majority of which are currently company-owned. Those countries are included within the company’s high-growth markets, a segment which includes countries with relatively higher restaurant expansion and franchising potential. The company intends to add more than 1 500 restaurants in China, Hong Kong and Korea over the next five years.