Word: kfc
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Part of KFC's triumph can be attributed to its first-mover advantage. The company's initial outlet opened in Beijing within sight of Chairman Mao's mausoleum in Tiananmen Square in 1987, a time when many Chinese still wore blue Mao suits and refrigerators were transported by tricycles. There were no fast- food restaurants anywhere on the mainland. (McDonald's debuted in Shenzhen in 1990 and came to Beijing in 1992.) The company made some early missteps: for example, KFC's advertising slogan "finger-lickin' good" was mistranslated into Chinese characters that meant "eat your fingers off." But China...
...same time, KFC had something other than the novelty factor going for it?the main item on the menu was familiar to Chinese. "You don't have to be a genius to sell chicken in China," says Jim Bryant, who brought Subway sandwich shops to China. But Novak, the Yum CEO, says success wasn't quite that simple. Over the years, "we stayed in touch with consumers' needs," he says, adding that KFC did a better job of "staying relevant" in China than it did in the U.S. Though KFC still offers its mainstay "original recipe" fried chicken, the company...
...secret of Yum's strategy, though, is not just what dishes it sells but its understanding of China's increasingly affluent consumers. Last year KFC opened the country's first drive-through restaurant in Beijing, astutely recognizing the opportunity presented by the mainland's increasing car culture. Pizza Hut now offers a delivery service to capitalize on an emerging generation of Chinese yuppies who want to watch a DVD or play a video game while eating supper on the couch. And Yum does a good job attracting children?potential customers for life?to its stores. To win their affection...
...Maybe it doesn't take a genius to sell chicken in China, but steak chalupas and chili cheese burritos? Yum's latest effort is a Chinese iteration of Taco Bell in Shanghai, where the company is trying to repeat its KFC and Pizza Hut success with Mexican fare. Little of the Taco Bell formula has been imported from the U.S. The Shanghai outlet, which opened last May, is called Taco Bell Grande. It's a fancier, sit-down restaurant, a concept that is gaining traction in China with the popularity of T.G.I. Friday's, the Hard Rock Cafe and Tony...
...ever-ambitious Yum plans to open additional Taco Bell Grandes in Shanghai next year. It's also considering a China launch for two of its other U.S. brands, A&W All-American Food and Long John Silver's fish and chips. In the meantime, it will continue to push KFC deeper into the country's interior, in cities similar in size or smaller than Qiandaohu. Will it work? "It's a huge market; 60-65% of the Chinese population is in towns and villages," says Darryl Andrew, managing director of Synovate China, a market-research firm in Hong Kong...