Yum's China restaurant sales jump as KFC bounces back

KFC's staff wait for customers at its restaurant in Beijing October 9, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

KFC parent Yum Brands Inc on Wednesday said second-quarter sales at established restaurants in China, its No 1 market, jumped 15 percent as it recovers from an avian flu outbreak and a food safety scare that slashed demand for chicken last year.

Yum's sales at established restaurants in China increased 15 percent in the second quarter, including a 21 percent jump at KFC and flat results at Pizza Hut Casual Dining.

Analysts polled by Consensus Metrix had forecast that Yum's China sales would climb 11.4 percent.

An avian flu outbreak and a food-safety scare last year battered Yum's restaurant results in China, which contributes more than half of the company's overall sales. Yum's China division same-restaurant sales tumbled 20 percent in the second quarter last year.

Yum recently revamped its KFC China product lineup to attract more diners. Yum's China Division, which had 6,387 mostly KFC restaurants at the end of the second quarter, contributed 35 percent of the company's total operating profit last year.

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