McDonald's Korea commences sale process for M&A

McDonald's Korea is selling its business in South Korea, and it has now taken the first step toward merger and acquisition. A few other major fast-food chains in the country are also looking to sell their business, including Burger King Korea, but McDonald's is the first to officially start off the selling procedure.

The Korea Herald reported that Mirae Asset Securities, a local capital market firm, is serving as McDonald's Korea's organizer of the sale. It reportedly sent out investment teaser letters to prospective buyers, and this signals the start of the fast-food chain's Korean unit's M&A deal.

The entire 100% stake in McDonald's Korea has been placed in the market. The stake is wholly owned by McDonald's APMEA Singapore Investments Pte Ltd. The letter was said to contain 13 pages and mostly emphasized the dominant market position of the restaurant in the local burger market. The letter also outlined McDonald's Korea's high growth potential.

Furthermore, the document indicated that the burger joint is always at the top in terms of market share ranking in the country's burger franchise industry, even if it is only operating around 400 stores across the nation. It was noted that the number of its outlets is way smaller than its local rivals such as Mom's Touch and Lotteria, which have more than a thousand locations but still, McDonald's Korea never lags behind them.

In fact, the average revenue of each store has increased by eight percent per year in the last three years. This only shows the restaurant's edge and potential in the business.

And this is not all, McDonald's Korea also reported a drop in net loss after it was reduced to KRW33.3 billion or $24.2 million in 2021. The result demonstrated a decrease of 28% year-on-year.

The brand's profits before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were about KRW4.6 billion last year. McDonald's Korea also owns sizable real estate properties, which is another reason why its acquisition is a good investment for buyers.

Meanwhile, Mirae Asset will be distributing an information memorandum (IM) to include more details about the sale of McDonald's. These will be given out to potential buyers before this month ends. The preliminary bidding for the sale is expected to take place next month, and due diligence will follow until early December.

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