McDonald’s China plans 250 new stores in 2016

McDonald’s China is shifting its focus from tier 1 and 2 markets to smaller cities as it expands its footprint in the mainland.

The US fast food operator plans to open 250 new stores in the lower-tier cities in 2016 which represents its biggest expansion plan in any international market.

Phyllis Cheung, CEO of McDonald’s China, says the company will target third and fourth tier cities, along with developing digital ordering and offering customised burgers.

Cheung says 150 stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou will have self-service kiosks introduced this year allowing customised ingredients. The build-your-own concept is called My Burger and has already been introduced in some Asian markets, including Thailand.

“Within two to three years, we hope mobile ordering and other digital capabilities would cover all of our restaurants in China, and we will also launch our proprietary smartphone application for ordering by the end of this year,” Cheung said in an interview.

The Us chain opened its ‘Experience of the future’ flagship restaurant in Beijing’s Wangfujing St this week which features table service for customers who order using the WeChat app.

McDonald’s China boasts more than 2200 stores already.