A team led by Chinese conglomerate Citic Group Corp and US-based private equity house Carlyle has emerged as the final global group seeking to buy McDonald's China franchise, a deal that could fetch between $2bn-$3bn.
TPG Capital and Bain Capital, two other global contenders originally involved in the deal for the fast-food chain's 2,800 outlets in China, have dropped out of the process, according to two people familiar with the deal. That has left Citic Group and its partner Carlyle as the favoured bidder.
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TPG had partnered with Wumart Stores. It was unclear if the Beijing-based retailer was still in the running for McDonald's China outlets and the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bain had partnered with GreenTree Hospitality.
The sale of the China franchise of world's largest fast-food retail chain struggled to attract investors when it was announced earlier this year. Investors that looked at the deal in the first half of 2016 said many of the terms, such as keeping existing management and suppliers for two years, were unappealing. The deal also barred the buyer from listing the company.
The terms were meant to protect the company's reputation in Asia but investors have argued that they gave little opportunity to add value to the brand.
Steve Easterbrook, McDonald's chief executive, who is leading a turnround effort at the company, has defended the move to sell the company's Asian business, after an investor raised concerns about its Latin American partner's performance in that region.
"As you evolve operating models you get a lot of things right and some things incorrect. We're very clear about the partners we're looking for in Asia and why," said Mr Easterbrook in an interview in November. "The reality is we're looking for a partner that can help McDonald's China grow quicker than it would do if it was just" McDonald's in charge.
CtW Investment Group, which has a 0.2 per cent stake in McDonald's and is affiliated with a federation of unions representing more than $250bn in assets, wrote to McDonald's earlier this year citing worries over corporate governance at the fast-food chain's master franchisor in Latin America, Arcos Dorados, which it says is hampering the chain's performance in the market.
The McDonald's sale follows that of competitor Yum! Brands, which spun off its China business in a New York Stock Exchange listing in October. China-based private equity fund Primavera Capital Group and Ant Financial Services Group, an affiliate of Alibaba, took a $460m stake in the operation.
Shares in Yum China Holdings have climbed nearly 10 per cent since the initial public offering to $28.12. McDonald's closed at $119.27 on Wednesday, up slightly from the start of the year.
Both McDonald's and Yum have suffered from food safety scandals in China over the past five years, troubles that have in some cases knocked the company's share prices in the US. The sales have been viewed as a means of reducing exposure to China.
Citic and Carlyle team take pole position for McDonald’s China
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