McDonald’s ties up with oil firms

Fastfood restaurant operator McDonald’s India said it would spend Rs300 crores (US$76.5 million) in the next three years to fund its expansion plan, which includes extending its services to airports, railway stations and highways. “We are aiming to triple the number of our outlets in the next three to five years, by investing Rs300 crores (US$76.5 million) by 2010 for setting up new outlets and expanding the back-end supply chain,” McDonald’s India Joint Venture and Managing Director Vikram Bakshi said. The aim was to triple the current number of 123 restaurants across the country within three to five years and double turnover by 2010. McDonalds has already opened a restaurant at the domestic airport in New Delhi and has signed an agreement with Indian Railways to  open an outlet at the old Delhi railway station. “We already have a tie-up with Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum which enables us to be present on the highways and increasing our reach by being at airports and railways is an important element of our expansion plan,” Bakshi said. He said the focus initially would be the airports at major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.”But the plan will depend on the approval of the Airport Authority of India,” he said. (October 15, 2007)