Despite a continued positive performance in the UK, McDonald’s saw global comparable sales decline 1.8% in January, as supply issues in China led to a 12.6% decline in sales across its Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) operations.
In Europe, the company’s comparable sales increased 0.5% in January as positive performance in the UK and Germany were largely offset by negative results in France and Russia.
US comparable sales increased 0.4% as positive breakfast day part performance was largely offset by the impact of aggressive competitive activity
The company said it begins 2015 “on a path to regain business momentum globally”.
It said: “The company’s charge over the coming year is to accelerate the pace of change and elevate the overall McDonald’s experience in the eyes of its customers. While the company’s January performance reflects current business challenges, McDonald’s structure and competitive strengths will provide the capability to change the trajectory of the business over the long term.”
It said that McDonald’s US is focused on delivering a simplified national menu alongside greater choice tailored to local consumer preferences - enabled by the segment’s transition to a new organisational structure.
The company said: “While market dynamics remain challenging in the near term, McDonald’s Europe is focused on driving sales and guest traffic by strengthening local value platforms, highlighting the quality of core and premium products and aggressively pursuing growth opportunities, particularly at breakfast.”
The group said that strong comparable sales in McDonald’s Other Countries & Corporate segment, which includes Latin America and Canada, contributed positively to its global comparable sales performance for the month.
Systemwide sales for the month decreased 7.9%, or were relatively flat in constant currencies.
