Yum! Brands may sell franchisee right for south and west India

Yum Brands! which owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurant chains, is in advanced talk with Samara Capital and CX Partners to sell franchisee right of South and West India reported a national daily.

According to the report, If the negotiations are successful, Samara Capital, CX Partners and a West Asia-based investment firm will together buy out the franchise rights from the US fast-food chain, the Dodsal Group which runs 84 Pizza Hut outlets in west and south India as a franchisee, and several other smaller franchise partners, three people familiar with the development said, requesting anonymity.

However, when contacted Yum! Brands kept themselves tight lipped, sharing that, “They continue to explore opportunities to partner with big franchise players to help us achieve the same and, in the process, create significant value for all stakeholders, for the long term.”

Meanwhile, the brand plans to more than double the number of restaurants in India to 2,000 over the next 5-7 years.

“Yum is one of the largest and fastest growing restaurant companies in India. We are extremely bullish and committed to the huge opportunity that the country offers for each of our brands. Our ambition is to more than double the number of restaurants,” shared Ankush Tuli, CFO, Yum! India.

However, Yum! Which operates more than 700 stores in the country has an equal number of Pizza Hut and KFC outlet running across the country and approximately seven Taco Bell outlets in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Not only this Yum has almost 70 per cent of the restaurants operated via franchisees with Ravi Jaipuria led Devyani International as one its largest franchisees partner in the country.