3 strategies that helped this McDonald’s franchisee make a comeback

Westlife takes a heavy blow

Back in FY13, Westlife Foodworld, a McDonald’s franchisee operator, was hammered by rising inflation, weak consumer sentiment, and lower footfalls.

Impact on Westlife

These resulted in lower output from its stores and turned the company operationally loss-making.

Marking a new beginning

To combat this, the company embarked on a strategic turnaround in 2016. Here are the 3 strategies it implemented.

#1 McCafe revolution

Westlife introduced McCafe in India in 2013. It is a premium (and a higher-margin) beverage brand, offering specialty coffee.

#2 Embracing digital

Through its McDelivery service and tie-ups with various online food delivery platforms, the company witnessed a whopping 51 per cent average store sales growth from FY16 to FY23.

#3 The southern refocus

Westlife introduced chicken meals to the southern areas, which were lacking in business earlier. It launched Fried Chicken, which increased the sales in those regions by 8 per cent

Westlife’s back

These combined efforts helped Westlife recover from its struggling state and sustain its performance in today's environment.

Antithesis

But it's not all blue skies and green grass for Westlife. Another fast food joint has been slowly emerging: Restaurant Brands Asia, formerly known as Burger King India.

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