The company is moving closer to its 30,000-store target by 2030, having surpassed 20,000 stores across 2,800 cities and towns in China.
The company’s portfolio includes KFC, Pizza Hut, Lavazza, Taco Bell, Little Sheep and Huang Ji Huang. According to the company, growth is supported by a mix of company-owned and franchised outlets, alongside smaller store formats designed to reach more consumers and markets. Yum China opened its first KFC store in China in 1987.
“Reaching 20,000 stores is a milestone made possible by the hard work of Yum China employees and the trust of our customers,” said Joey Wat, CEO of Yum China. “This year marks the second year of executing our RGM 3.0 strategy, which focuses on resilience, growth and moat. In a dynamic operating environment, we remain laser-focused on execution, solving problems, turning strategy into action and delivering sustainable, profitable growth.”
The company also highlighted its investment in technology to enhance store-level efficiency, including ‘Q-Smart’, an AI-powered assistant designed to help restaurant managers handle data-intensive tasks such as labour scheduling and inventory management.
The company is also expanding smaller concepts such as KCoffee, KPro and Pizza Hut Burger Bar, seeking to capture more consumer occasions beyond its core restaurant formats.
