McDonald's to launch outlets in J&K

Multinational fast food chain McDonald's says it plans to open outlets in Jammu & Kashmir as part of its expansion plans.

At present the company does not have any outlet in J&K, with the nearest outlet being 80km from Jammu.

The company will launch an outlet in Jammu under its expansion plans, under which the company is seeking to expand to as many places as it can, according to McDonald's Indian franchisee (North and East), managing director, Vikram Bakshi, speaking to the media on the sidelines of an event organised by CII.

Bakshi, however declined to put a figure to the number of outlets to be opened or the time-frame for the launch of the brand in the state.

He added that the chain's sales have grown 15 to 18 per cent despite the economic slowdown.

He said that according to the figures, the period from September 2008 to now, has seen the same-outlet sales grow 15-18 per cent. He added that McDonald's was a value brand and people were moving towards value.

The company plans to add 40 points of sale to its existing 160 outlets across the country at an investment of Rs120 crore.

McDonald's, the world's leading food service retailer with more than 31,000 restaurants in 119 countries, has a joint venture operation managed by two Indian entrepreneurs, Amit Jatia and Vikram Bakshi. Jatia owns and spearheads McDonald's in west and south India under Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd while Bakshi owns and manages the North and East operations under Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt Ltd.

Starting with the launch of its first restaurant in 1996, McDonald's now has a network of over 160 restaurants across the country. Prior to the launch, the company invested four years developing its unique cold chain, that has brought set off a veritable revolution in food handling that has immensely benefited the farmer at the same time ensuring that the customer gets the highest quality of food products, absolutely fresh and at a great value.