McD’s Plans To Refranchise 1,500 Stores

McDonald’s Corp. will refranchise at least 1,500 restaurants by 2016, focusing on its Europe and Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) regions. That’s more than a 50% jump in refranchising activity from the prior three years; it would allow the chain to focus on running fewer restaurants while still collecting royalties from the franchised locations. Currently, more than 80% of the Oak Brook, Ill., company’s restaurants are franchised, including roughly 71% in APMEA, 73% in Europe and 89% in the U.S.