v3.26.1
Description of Business
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2026
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Description of Business

Note 1 – Description of Business

 

Yum China Holdings, Inc. (“Yum China” and, together with its subsidiaries, the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our”) was incorporated in Delaware on April 1, 2016. The Company separated from Yum! Brands, Inc. (“YUM”) on October 31, 2016 (the “separation”).

 

The Company owns, franchises or has ownership in entities that own and operate restaurants (also referred to as “stores” or “units”) under the KFC, Pizza Hut, Lavazza, Huang Ji Huang, Little Sheep and Taco Bell concepts (collectively, the “concepts”). Our right to use and sublicense the use of intellectual property owned by YUM and its subsidiaries for the development and operation of the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands and their related marks and other intellectual property rights for restaurant services is governed by the master license agreement between Yum Restaurants Consulting (Shanghai) Company Limited (“YCCL”), a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of the Company and a subsidiary of YUM. Pursuant to the master license agreement, we are the exclusive licensee of the KFC, Pizza Hut and, subject to the agreed terms, Taco Bell brands and their related marks and other intellectual property rights for restaurant services in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC” or “China”), excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The term of the license is 50 years from October 31, 2016, with automatic renewals for additional consecutive renewal terms of 50 years each, subject only to us being in “good standing” and unless we give notice of our intent not to renew. In exchange, we pay a license fee to YUM equal to 3% of net system sales from both our Company and franchise restaurants. In June 2026, the Company announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with YUM to acquire ownership of the Pizza Hut brand in Mainland China. Upon closing, the Company will no longer be subject to the license fees previously payable to YUM for the Pizza Hut brand. At the closing, the Company and YUM entered into an amended and restated master license agreement with YUM for the KFC and Taco Bell brands in Mainland China. We own the intellectual property of Huang Ji Huang and Little Sheep and pay no license fee related to these concepts.

 

In 1987, KFC was the first major global restaurant brand to enter China. As of June 30, 2026, there were 13,789 KFC stores in China. We maintain a controlling interest of 58%, 70%, 83%, 92% and approximately 60% in the entities that own and operate the KFCs in and around Shanghai, Beijing, Wuxi, Suzhou and Hangzhou, respectively.

The first Pizza Hut in China opened in 1990. As of June 30, 2026, there were 4,549 Pizza Hut restaurants in China.

 

In the second quarter of 2020, the Company partnered with Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. (“Lavazza Group”), the world-renowned family-owned Italian coffee company, and established a joint venture (“Lavazza joint venture”) to explore and develop the Lavazza coffee concept in China. Lavazza joint venture operates both the coffee shop business and the retail business. We maintain a controlling interest of 65% equity interest in the Lavazza joint venture.

 

In 2017, the Company acquired a controlling interest in the holding company of DAOJIA.com.cn (“Daojia”), an online food delivery service provider in China. This business was extended to also include a team managing the delivery services for restaurants, including restaurants in our system, with their results reported under our delivery operating segment.

The Company has two reportable segments: KFC and Pizza Hut. Our non-reportable operating segments, including the operations of Lavazza, Huang Ji Huang, Little Sheep, Taco Bell and our delivery operating segment, are combined and referred to as All Other Segments, as these operating segments are insignificant both individually and in the aggregate. Additional details on our segment reporting are included in Note 13.

 

The Company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “YUMC”. On September 10, 2020, the Company completed a secondary listing of its common stock on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (“HKEX”) under the stock code “9987,” in connection with a global offering of 41,910,700 shares of its common stock. Net proceeds raised by the Company from the global offering after deducting underwriting fees and the offering expenses amounted to $2.2 billion. On October 24, 2022, the Company’s voluntary conversion of its secondary listing status to a primary listing status on the HKEX became effective (“Primary Conversion”) and the Company became a dual primary listed company on the NYSE and HKEX. On the same day, the Company’s shares of common stock traded on the HKEX were included in the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect. The Company’s common stock listed on the NYSE and HKEX continue to be fully fungible.