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McDonald’s New Year’s resolution: 200 units in China

December 14, 2010

McDonald’s has its resolution for 2011 in place, and it includes as many as 200 new restaurants in China.

According to Bloomberg, the chain’s expansion plan will create competition for Yum! Brands’ KFC Corp, which has a strong footprint in the country, including nearly 3,000 stores in more than 650 cities.

Helping McDonald’s cause is the Chinese economy, which grew 9.6 percent last quarter.

The chain’s investments in China will increase by 40 percent in 2011, which will translate to between 175 and 200 new units. This is in comparison to a 25 percent increase in investments and 165 new restaurants in 2010.

The investments will not only be used to open new stores, but also to reimage existing ones. McDonald’s China unveiled its new design, called “LIM” (Less is More), in four Beijing outlets this month.

The concept was created by French designer Philippe Avanzi, and features bright colors and soft seats. Eighty-percent of all McDonald’s outlets will boast the design by 2013.

McDonald’s opened its first unit in China in 1990. It now operates more than 1,100 stores in the country.