KFC Holdings Japan receives 135 billion yen offer from Carlyle-backed fund

    • KFC Holdings Japan operates KFC restaurants in Japan under a master franchise agreement with Yum! Brands, which also owns the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell chains.
    • KFC Holdings Japan operates KFC restaurants in Japan under a master franchise agreement with Yum! Brands, which also owns the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell chains. PHOTO: REUTERS
    Published Tue, May 21, 2024 · 02:01 PM

    FAST food operator KFC Holdings Japan said on Monday (May 20) that a Carlyle Group-backed fund launched a tender offer for its shares in a deal worth 135 billion yen (S$1.2 billion).

    Crispy Holdings, which is wholly owned by Carlyle, will offer 6,500 yen per share, a 20 per cent premium to KFC Holdings Japan’s closing price on Monday. The tender offer will last from May 21 to Jul 9.

    Buyout funds have been increasingly active in Japan as more corporations step up sales of non-core assets or seek buyers due to succession issues. The deal would be the third largest private equity buyout this year, according to LSEG data.

    KFC Holdings Japan operates KFC restaurants in Japan under a master franchise agreement with Yum! Brands, which also owns the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell chains.

    KFC Holdings Japan’s board of directors will recommend the company’s shareholders tender their shares, a spokesperson for Carlyle said.

    Mitsubishi, the biggest shareholder in KFC Holdings Japan with a 35 per cent stake, said separately it would tender all its shares to the offer.

    On Tuesday morning, KFC Holdings Japan’s shares were untraded amid a glut of buy orders, quoted up almost 18.5 per cent at its daily-limit high of 6,400 yen per share. REUTERS

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