McDonalds South And West Operator To Invest <span Class='webrupee'>₹</span>1,400 Cr To Increase Store Count

In all, the company will invest ₹1,400 crore towards network expansion, re-imaging current stores, and investing in technology advancements.

As part of a five-year plan, Westlife Foodworld, which set up the first McDonald’s outlet in Mumbai in 1996, will operate 580-630 stores by 2027. This translates to a faster pace of annual store additions over the next five years compared to the previous five years. Work on the next 200 stores has already started, it said in a presentation outlining future growth plans on Friday.

The announcements were part of WFL’s Strategy Day, which outlined Vision 2027 for the company.

As of 30 September, the company operated 337 McDonald’s restaurants across 52 cities in west and south India.

“Vision 2027 entails three levers—how we are going to grow AUV (average unit volume), how we are going to use AUV to grow and expand the network faster than ever before. And lastly, how that is going allow us to finally lead with performance," Akshay Jatia, executive director, Westlife Foodworld Ltd, said addressing the press on Friday.

India’s eating-out market is estimated at ₹3.2 trillion; of this, organized retail accounts for 32%. Top executives at the company said that consumers were showing a greater appetite towards ordering in; meanwhile, the rapid growth of Western-style fast food is also helping expand the eating-out market.

Westlife Foodworld will drive more consumption around meals, both lunch and dinner, apart from focussing on its core burger, chicken and coffee offerings to help drive growth.

“Meals are exactly where most of the consumer spending is going to reside. We’re going to work on capturing the market share further during the lunch and dinner part by maximizing our marketing," Jatia said. Mealtimes will represent 67% of India’s dining out spending in the next five years.

As part of its 2027 plan, the company wants to achieve market leadership in core parts of its menu through brand relevance led by menu innovation and marketing.