Cafe de Coral, the world's biggest Chinese fast-food restaurant, aims to nearly double the number of its outlets worldwide to 1,000 in five years and may for the first time franchise its self-branded stores on the mainland to meet the target.
The global target includes doubling the number of the company's mainland outlets to 200, according to chairman Michael Chan Yue-kwong.
To do this, the fast-food restaurant operator would increase its self-branded mainland stores to 100 by 2012 from 38 at present, Mr Chan said in an interview.
He said the company would open more stores in gateway cities in the Pearl River Delta including Guangzhou and Shenzhen, after expanding in second-tier cities including Dongguan and Zhongshan.
Mr Chan said the company might need to franchise its self-branded outlets for the first time to expand faster on the mainland.
The company also aims to have 100 New Asia Dabao shops in five years. The Shanghai fast-food chain, in which Cafe de Coral has a 50 per cent stake, now operates 67 outlets.
