McDonalds says UK business remains strong

Fast-food chain McDonalds has seen its sales around the world rise, due to the strong performance of its European and UK business in the past three months.

The chain said that despite the decline in consumer confidence in the UK the number of visitors and its sales had continued to rise on the back of improvements to its restaurants.

Ralph Alvarez chief operating officer at McDonalds told analysts: "The U.K. is also planning to re-image another 200-plus restaurants in 2008 and 2009, with an emphasis on our drive-thru locations now.

"It is important to note that our business in the U.K. remains strong. Even in spite of declining consumer confidence in the U.K., our sales, our guest counts, and our margins continued to grow in the second quarter and were a strong contributor to our overall results.

"We are optimistic about the European business and especially our big three markets of France, Germany, and the U.K., which represent two-thirds of our operating income in Europe."

The company posted a global sales rise of 6.1% to $6.07b, with sales in Europe up by 7.4% for the three months ending 30 June. By contrast sales growth in the US was up by just 3.4% while Asian sales were up by 8.8% led by growth in Australia and China.

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By Christopher Walton

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