BloggingStocks: Jack in the Box (JACK) dropped in yesterday's after-hours session upon news of the company's Q4 results. You can't blame the bottom line for the poor stock performance. The fast-food joint earned 70 cents per share from continuing operations versus ... Read more

Even in the midst of an economic crisis, Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM), the operator of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell fast-food chains, remains largely unruffled by the slowdown and plans to accelerate its expansion in India with an investment plan of about $150 million. Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum!, which operates about 150 Pizza Hut and 65 [...]

(YUM) Yum! Brands Plans Expansion for India

Even in the midst of an economic crisis, Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM), the operator of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell fast-food chains, remains largely unruffled by the slowdown and plans to accelerate its expansion in India with an investment plan of about $150 million.
 
Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum!, which operates about 150 Pizza Hut and 65 KFC outlets in India, plans to increase its restaurant count to 1,000 by 2015 with planned openings across 60 cities, requiring a strength of about 50,000 staff, five times more than the current level. The company plans to open its first Taco Bell restaurant in Bangalore by the end of 2009.
 
The Indian market has been virtually recession-proof providing ample growth opportunities. Yum! plans to tap India's organized food and beverage market, which is growing rapidly by about 25% to 30% annually, but is even less than 1% of the $64 billion dining out market. The company plans to generate $1 billion in revenues by 2015.
 
Yum!’s restaurants in India, which are managed by Niren Chaudhary, faces stiff competition from other fast-food chains such as McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) and Domino’s Pizza Inc. (DPZ).
 
McDonald’s currently operates about 173 restaurants of which 91 are in North and East India and 82 in West and South India with plans to open 180-190 restaurants by 2015. Domino’s currently operates nearly 274 quick service restaurants across 54 cities in India.
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McDonald’s Corporation’s (MCD) comparable sales for the month of October 2009 showed a sluggish growth of 3.3% as against the rise of 8.2% in the same month last year, exposing its sensitivity to rising unemployment, economic downturn, and the discount war amongst fast-food chains to lure consumers. The company faces stiff competition from Burger King Holdings [...]

(MCD) McDonald’s Corporation Outdoing Rivals

McDonald’s Corporation’s (MCD) comparable sales for the month of October 2009 showed a sluggish growth of 3.3% as against the rise of 8.2% in the same month last year, exposing its sensitivity to rising unemployment, economic downturn, and the discount war amongst fast-food chains to lure consumers.
 
The company faces stiff competition from Burger King Holdings Inc. (BKC), Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Inc. (WEN) and Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM). However, these quick-service operators are faring better than casual dining restaurant chains, such as Cosi Inc. (COSI) and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. (RRGB), as cash-strapped consumers are trading towards fast-food centers due to relative cheap dining options. 

System-wide sales at McDonald’s worldwide restaurants climbed 10.3% for the month of October. However, in constant currencies, the rate of increase in system-wide sales dipped to 5.2%.
 In the United States , comparable sales remained flat falling 0.1% in October (versus 5.3% increase last year for the comparable month). New menu products, including Angus Third Pounders and McCafe premium coffee line-up continued to support the month's results. 

The fast-food giant had earlier indicated that U.S. sales for the month of October would be weak. Still the month’s result fared better than the overall quick-service restaurant industry. 

In Europe, comparable sales increased 6.4% in October (versus 9.8% increase last year for the comparable month) fueled by strong performance in the U.K. , Germany and France . A variety of mid-tier items and premium menu options contributed to sales. 
Comparable sales in Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) rose 4.7% in October (versus 11.5% increase last year for the comparable month) driven by Australia and Japan, partly offset by China.
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