Burger King Takes on McDonald’s in France With Quick Purchase

By Publications Checkout
Burger King Takes on McDonald’s in France With Quick Purchase

Burger King is to transform its business in France with a deal that will make it the country’s second- biggest fast-food chain behind McDonald’s.

The Whopper maker’s local franchisee will acquire Quick Group, the Belgian-based restaurant company, from its private- equity owner for an undisclosed sum, according to a statement released on Monday.

The purchase will add 509 restaurants in France, Belgium and Luxembourg to Burger King’s 26 French outlets. That will still leave it a long way behind McDonald’s, which has more than 1,200 restaurants in France. All Quick outlets are set to be converted to the Burger King brand.

The transaction represents a major step for Burger King, which returned to France in December 2012 after a 15-year absence. During that time, McDonald’s captured almost half of the local market. The French fast-food industry will grow to €10.5 billion by 2016, Euromonitor predicts. Miami-based Burger King is a division of the Warren Buffett-backed Restaurant Brands International Inc.

Quick, which had system-wide sales of €1 billion last year, is being acquired from Qualium Investissement. Burger King France is majority-owned by Groupe Bertrand, a family-owned restaurant business based in Paris.

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News by Bloomberg, edited by Hospitality Ireland