KFC China sales crash 36% in April on bird flu fears

Seed Daily via AFP: Sales of fast food giant KFC in China slumped an estimated 36 percent last month, according to parent Yum! Brands, as consumers shunned chicken due to the H7N9 bird flu outbreak in humans.

For Yum overall, which includes other restaurant chains such as Pizza Hut, Chinese same-store sales -- a measure of turnover in established outlets -- fell an estimated 29 percent in April, according to an exchange filing on Friday.

An outbreak of H7N9 avian influenza, found in humans for the first time, has killed 33 people in China since the government began reporting figures in late March, according to the official news agency Xinhua. Chinese cities have shut live poultry markets in response.

"Beginning the first week of April, publicity surrounding avian flu in China has had a significant, negative impact on KFC sales," Yum said. China is a key market for Yum, which has more than 4,200 KFC restaurants in the country...

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