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    Yum! Brands Marketcap, Net Worth, Competitors, Revenue, 2025

    DariusBy Updated:No Comments7 Mins Read
    Yum! Brands, Inc. logo
    Yum! Brands, Inc. logo

    Yum! Brands, Inc. operates as one of the world’s largest quick service restaurant companies, owning iconic global brands including KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. Founded in 1997 as Tricon Global Restaurants following its spin-off from PepsiCo’s fast food division, the company transformed from a North American-focused operator into a worldwide restaurant powerhouse.

    Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Yum! Brands operates through six segments: YUM Restaurants China, YUM Restaurants International, Taco Bell U.S., KFC U.S., Pizza Hut U.S., and YUM Restaurants India. The company develops, franchises, and licenses a worldwide restaurant system offering competitively priced menu items across traditional dine-in, carryout, drive-thru, and delivery formats.

    Through aggressive international expansion particularly in China and emerging markets, Yum! Brands built a portfolio exceeding 40,000 locations worldwide. The company’s strategy emphasized franchise development, proprietary recipes, and non-traditional units in airports, malls, stadiums, and convenience stores, extending brand reach beyond conventional restaurant locations.

    Key Stats

    1997
    Year Founded
    40,000+
    Stores Worldwide (2013)
    3 Brands
    Core Restaurant Concepts
    Louisville, KY
    Headquarters Location
    2002
    Rebranded to Yum!

    Yum! Brands, Inc. History

    1997
    Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc. was created on May 30 as an independent company following spin-off from PepsiCo’s fast food division. The new entity owned and franchised KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell brands worldwide.
    1997
    Due to the company’s previous PepsiCo relationship, Tricon inherited a lifetime contract with PepsiCo for beverage supply, with notable exceptions for certain franchisees maintaining existing Coca-Cola relationships.
    2002
    Tricon announced acquisition of Yorkshire Global Restaurants, owner of Long John Silver’s and A&W Restaurants chains, in March. The company simultaneously announced intentions to rebrand as Yum! Brands, Inc.
    2002
    The name change to Yum! Brands, Inc. became effective on May 16 following shareholder approval. On June 17, Yum! executed a two-for-one stock split, and Long John Silver’s and A&W began switching to Pepsi products.
    2003
    Yum! launched WingStreet as a hybrid combo unit operating within existing Pizza Hut franchises, expanding product offerings and targeting chicken wing market segments beyond traditional pizza categories.
    2011
    Yum! announced in January its intention to divest Long John Silver’s and A&W brands to focus on core brands KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. With little international presence, the two chains no longer aligned with global growth strategies.
    2011
    In May, Yum! agreed to purchase mainland Chinese hot pot chain Little Sheep for HK$4.56 billion. The deal spent over four months in anti-trust review by China’s Ministry of Commerce before November approval.
    2011
    Yum! completed divestiture of A&W and Long John Silver’s chains in September. A Great American Brand LLC purchased A&W, while LJS Partners LLC acquired Long John Silver’s, both originally purchased in 2002 for $320 million.
    2012
    KFC became the first American fast food restaurant operating in the West Bank, opening in Ramallah with Pizza Hut also planned, demonstrating Yum!’s aggressive international expansion into emerging markets.
    2013
    Several KFC locations in China supplied chicken containing excess chemical residue levels. Yum! lost 6% of sales from negative publicity as of January 25, damaging the company’s critical Chinese market performance.
    2013
    Yum! opened its first restaurant in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in May, with KFC becoming the first Western fast food in the country. The company planned 15 additional restaurants including Mongolia’s first drive-thru service.
    2013
    Yum! Brands opened its 40,000th store in Calangute, Goa, India in October, celebrating a significant milestone demonstrating worldwide expansion success across diverse international markets.
    2013
    In the third quarter, Yum! booked a $222 million goodwill impairment from the 2011 Little Sheep acquisition, significantly reducing 2013 profits and demonstrating challenges with international expansion diversification strategies.

    Yum! Brands, Inc. Founder

    PepsiCo Fast Food Division
    Yum! Brands originated from PepsiCo’s fast food division spin-off in 1997, creating Tricon Global Restaurants as an independent company. The founding entity inherited KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell brands along with a lifetime PepsiCo beverage supply contract.

    Yum! Brands, Inc. Market Capitalization

    As a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Yum! Brands maintains market capitalization reflecting its position among the world’s largest quick service restaurant operators. The company’s valuation fluctuates with international expansion success, brand performance, and global consumer dining trends.

    Yum! Brands, Inc. Acquisitions

    Yum! Brands pursued strategic acquisitions to expand brand portfolios and enter high-growth international markets, particularly focusing on China where the company built dominant quick service restaurant positions. The acquisition strategy balanced geographic expansion with periodic divestiture of non-core assets that failed aligning with global growth objectives.

    The March 2002 acquisition of Yorkshire Global Restaurants brought Long John Silver’s and A&W Restaurants into Yum!’s portfolio, purchased for $320 million. This deal expanded the company beyond its three original PepsiCo-inherited brands and prompted the corporate rebranding from Tricon Global Restaurants to Yum! Brands, reflecting broader quick service restaurant ambitions.

    However, by January 2011, Yum! announced intentions to divest Long John Silver’s and A&W brands, recognizing that with minimal international presence, these chains no longer fit long-term growth strategies emphasizing global expansion. Both brands also suffered from poor sales and fewer locations compared to KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell portfolios.

    The September 2011 divestitures saw A Great American Brand LLC purchase A&W while LJS Partners LLC acquired Long John Silver’s. These exits allowed Yum! to concentrate resources on core brands demonstrating strong international expansion potential, particularly in Asian and emerging markets where American fast food concepts achieved rapid growth.

    Yum!’s most significant acquisition occurred in May 2011 when the company agreed to purchase mainland Chinese hot pot chain Little Sheep for HK$4.56 billion. This deal represented strategic diversification into Chinese cuisine formats beyond Western quick service concepts, targeting domestic consumer preferences and local dining traditions.

    The Little Sheep acquisition spent over four months in anti-trust review by China’s Ministry of Commerce evaluating whether the transaction would create monopolistic positioning in China’s restaurant industry. The Ministry approved the deal in November 2011, though subsequent goodwill impairment of $222 million in third quarter 2013 demonstrated integration challenges and questioned the acquisition’s strategic value.

    Yum! Brands, Inc. Revenue

    Yum! Brands generates substantial annual revenue through company-operated restaurants, franchise fees, and licensing agreements across its global portfolio. The company’s financial performance reflects aggressive international expansion, particularly in China and emerging markets, alongside mature North American operations contributing consistent cash flows.

    Yum! Brands, Inc. Competitors

    Yum! Brands competes in the global quick service restaurant industry against multinational chains, regional operators, and emerging fast casual concepts. The company faces competition across multiple segments including fried chicken, pizza, Mexican food, and broader fast food categories from established brands and innovative newcomers targeting similar consumer demographics.

    Competitor Primary Concept Market Focus
    McDonald’s Burgers & Fries Global QSR Leader
    Subway Sandwiches Global Franchise
    Burger King Burgers Global QSR
    Domino’s Pizza Pizza Delivery Pizza Segment
    Papa John’s Pizza Pizza Segment
    Chipotle Mexican Fast Casual Fast Casual
    Wendy’s Burgers North American QSR
    Chick-fil-A Chicken U.S. QSR
    Popeyes Fried Chicken Chicken Segment
    Sonic Drive-In Burgers & Drive-In U.S. Regional

    FAQs

    When was Yum! Brands founded?

    Yum! Brands was founded on May 30, 1997, as Tricon Global Restaurants following its spin-off from PepsiCo’s fast food division. The company rebranded to Yum! Brands in May 2002.

    What brands does Yum! Brands own?

    Yum! Brands owns KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell as its core brands. The company previously owned Long John Silver’s and A&W Restaurants but divested them in 2011.

    Why does Yum! Brands serve Pepsi products?

    Yum! Brands inherited a lifetime contract with PepsiCo from its spin-off from PepsiCo’s fast food division in 1997. Some franchisees maintain existing Coca-Cola relationships that override this agreement.

    How many restaurants does Yum! Brands operate?

    Yum! Brands opened its 40,000th store in Calangute, Goa, India in October 2013. The company operates through company-owned restaurants, franchises, and licensed units across traditional and non-traditional locations worldwide.

    Where is Yum! Brands headquartered?

    Yum! Brands is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. The company operates through six segments including China, International, and separate U.S. divisions for Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and India operations.
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