McDonald’s closes all branches in China’s coronavirus-hit Hubei province
- CEO Chris Kempczinski calls situation ‘fluid’ and ‘concerning’ as he announces decision to shut hundreds of restaurants
- China accounts for 9 per cent of all McDonald’s restaurants, 4 to 5 per cent of its sales and 3 per cent of its income
US fast food giant McDonald’s said on Wednesday that it had closed all of its restaurants in Hubei, the Chinese province at the epicentre of a virus outbreak that has spread beyond the country’s borders.
The coronavirus outbreak traced to the provincial capital Wuhan in central China has killed more than 130 people and infected nearly 6,000 people across the country.
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski called the situation “fluid” and “concerning” and said the chain decided to close all of its restaurants in Hubei, which amount to “several hundred”.
But 3,000 outlets elsewhere in China remain open, he said during a call to discuss the company’s fourth quarter financial results.
“Right now, as you would expect, our priority’s really on our employees, on our customers, doing everything we can to make sure that they are safe and taken care of,” Kempczinski said, adding that the company would establish a special team to deal with the outbreak.