Mcdonald & #39;S To Open 10 Outlets This Year

The McDonald's fast-food chain, which has 30 outlets in the northern and western parts of the country at present, plans to expand this to over 40 this year and to around 80 by 2003.

The company plans to invest around Rs 200 crore this year, primarily for promotional and training programmes. Vikram Bakshi, managing director of Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt Ltd (CPRP), said McDonald's plans to invest Rs 800 crore over the next two years. "Around Rs 400 crore will go into development of restaurants in the form of equipment and real estate and about Rs 200 crore will be invested in the cold supply chain and in food processing technology," he said. The balance Rs 200 crore will be used for promotional as well as training programmes.

Bakshi said McDonald's operations is expected to break even in 2003. "To break even, the global benchmark is a 100 restaurants. But, our expectation is, at the present rate of growth in India, we will be able to achieve break-even with 80 restaurants," he said. Bakshi added 100 outlets will be established in the next four years.

Meanwhile, internal market research by the company shows the eastern market is yet to take a bite of the Big Mac. "As per our market research, the eastern market is not ready for a McDonald's yet. However, we should have a presence in the southern market by March, 2002," Bakshi said.

Bakshi's company Connaught Plaza is one of McDonald's two joint venture partners in India, the other being the Shiv Jatia promoted Mumbai-based Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd (HRP), which manages the fast-food major's business in the western India markets.