News

Burger King franchisee acquires 90-plus restaurants in Germany

May 3, 2013

Burger King announced the sale of its wholly owned subsidiary Burger King GmbH and its 91 company-owned restaurants in Germany to Yi-Ko Holding GmbH, owned and operated by Ergün Yildiz and Alexander Kolobov. As part of the transaction, Yi-Ko Holding GmbH has agreed to develop new Burger King restaurants during the next five years and remodel an additional 57 restaurants during the next 18 months.

"Germany is our biggest market outside of the U.S. and we believe that this country still offers significant potential for the Burger King brand. The experience of Ergün Yildiz, a long-standing restaurant operator in Germany with a strong commitment to the brand for more than a decade, and his partnership with Alexander Kolobov are huge assets to accelerate the modernization and growth of the brand in Germany," said José Cil, president, EMEA, BKW.

Kolobov has been a driving force behind the expansion of Burger King in Russia during the past three years.

"We are committed to investing heavily in the remodeling of the existing restaurant portfolio and to significantly expand the restaurant network in the coming years," Yildiz said.

"Germany is one of the most important markets worldwide. Through the partnership with Yi-Ko Holding GmbH our brand is better positioned than ever to take advantage of the numerous growth opportunities in this country. Together with our more than 160 franchise partners in Germany, we will continue on our path towards becoming the most profitable QSR player," added Andreas Bork, vice president & general manager, DACH region, Burger King Beteiligungs GmbH.

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