Early signs of recovery in Mainland China have allowed Yum China to begin re-opening stores.
The company operates KFC, Pizza Hut and Little Sheep chains have said that while restaurant traffic remains heavily impacted, about 95 per cent of Yum China’s stores had opened their doors again either fully or partially and about 15 per cent of those continued to offer only takeaway or delivery services.
In its update, Yum China said that while customer volumes were slowly building, they remained well down on pre-outbreak levels. Yum China launched contactless delivery in late January, which proved popular and supported the delivery business during a period of lower dine-in traffic.
Now that the coronavirus crisis appears to have passed its peak in Mainland China, the company is considering resuming its network expansion programme. Currently paused – largely due to a shortage of construction workers and traffic restrictions – the company says it will continue to monitor the situation and work with local authorities, resuming new store openings when conditions allow.
