International Dairy Queen Inc. will open more than 100 outlets throughout China in 2011, according to a press release distributed in Shanghai this week.
The chain currently has more than 300 outlets in the country, which is its second-largest market behind the United States.
On Sept. 30, Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, which owns American Dairy Queen Corp., along with Bill Gates, Microsoft Corp. chairman, and John Gainor, International Dairy Queen, Inc., president and CEO, visited a newly opened Dairy Queen unit in Beijing to mark the company's continued focus on international expansion.
Dairy Queen operates 6,000 restaurants worldwide. More than 700 units are located in 17 countries outside of the United States and Canada.
Dairy Queen's international expansion plans extend beyond China. The company recently signed an agreement with franchisee Al Safwa Food Group to open multiple locations in Saudi Arabia.
The first Dairy Queen in Saudi Arabia is scheduled to open in Riyadh in spring 2011 with a projected total of 32 locations by 2015. Dairy Queen currently has locations in the Middle East countries of Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Additionally, Minor Food Group, an operator of Dairy Queen shops in Thailand, plans to double the number of outlets by 2014. The expansion will be done on a franchise basis for the first time in the country.
