In response to challenging economic conditions, KFC Malaysia has temporarily closed some of its outlets. The decision was made after local media reported that the closures were due to boycotts targeting the fast food chain’s perceived links to Israel. As a majority-Muslim country and a staunch supporter of the Palestinians, Malaysia has seen boycott campaigns targeting Western fast-food brands like KFC over Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
QSR Brands (M) Holdings Bhd, the company that operates KFC and Pizza Hut franchises in Malaysia, stated that the temporary closures were part of their proactive measures to manage increasing business costs and focus on high engagement trade zones. While the statement did not directly address the media reports, it did mention that employees from the affected stores were given the option to relocate to outlets in areas with higher customer engagement.
Although the exact number of stores that were affected was not specified, local media reports indicated that over 100 outlets were temporarily closed. It seems that the decision to close these outlets was driven by a combination of economic factors and the need to strategically reallocate resources to more profitable locations.
