McDonald’s Corp., the world’s largest restaurant chain, should open an outlet a day in China as it challenges Yum! Brands for dominance in Asia’s largest economy as rising salaries boost spending on fast food.
“We should be opening a restaurant every day in the next three to four years†in China, Peter Rodwell, company president for Asia excluding Japan, Australia and New Zealand, said in an interview in Singapore today. “We’re now opening a restaurant every other day.â€
McDonald’s franchised outlets in China may account for as much as 20 percent of the total within six years, Rodwell said, as the hamburger chain aims to increase its stores from 1,300 to 2,000 by 2013. While its website says more than 75 percent of restaurants worldwide are operated by franchisees, only six McDonald’s shops in the world’s most-populous nation are franchised, said Vivian Zhang, a Shanghai-based spokeswoman.