KFC owner withholds rent on South Africa stores amid lockdown
JOHANNESBURG – KFC-owner Yum! Brands Inc. has told landlords in South Africa that the U.S. firm won’t be paying rent while outlets are closed during a three-week government-enforced lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
The decision relates to 48 company-owned stores in the continent’s most industrialized country, a spokeswoman for KFC South Africa said in emailed comments. The remainder of the 1,145 KFC fried-chicken restaurants across Africa are operated by franchisees who are making their own arrangements, she said.
One owner of more than 40 KFC shops across four sub-Saharan Africa countries, Grant Wheatley, said he is in talks with landlords, banks and suppliers about arrangements to cope with the shutdown. South Africa has ordered all restaurants to close during the period, including delivery services, with reopening scheduled for April 17.
Source: iol.co.za