CKE Restaurants, Inc. announced the opening of its first Carl’s Jr.® restaurant in Shanghai, China. This marks the first of more than 100 Carl’s Jr. units planned in the municipalities of Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin, and the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu over the next eight years. In China, Carl’s Jr. is operated by Star Food F&B Management Co. Ltd., a joint venture between SGX-listed BreadTalk Group Limited, a leading lifestyle food and beverage group, and Aspac F&B International Pte Ltd, the current Carl’s Jr. franchisee in Singapore and Malaysia.
CKE Restaurants’ entry into the People’s Republic of China is part of a strategic plan to accelerate franchise development in international markets and grow the system as a whole. The new restaurant opening in Shanghai is part of the first phase in the company’s expansion efforts in China where it sees potential for more than 1,000 restaurants over time. Currently, CKE licenses 332 international restaurants between both its Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s® brands, and plans to double its international presence to more than 665 restaurants within the next five years.