Westlife Development renamed Westlife Foodworld

New Delhi: Westlife Development Ltd that owns and operates the master franchisee of fast food chain McDonald’s in West and South India has re-named itself Westlife Foodworld Ltd.

“The move aims to align and harmonize the company’s name more closely with the nature of its subsidiary’s business activities. Targeted at accelerating the company’s core business in the food service industry, this name change will strengthen its synergy with the current business operations,” the company said in a statement Friday.

The company operates owns 331 McDonald’s restaurants and 267 McCafés in West and South India in close to 50 cities in the states of Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and parts of Madhya Pradesh etc. It has held the franchisee rights in the region since its inception in 1996.

It provides direct employment to close to 10,000 employees.

“When we brought McDonald’s under Westlife, our vision was to set up and expand a robust business in India for the brand and give value to all our stakeholders. We believe that the name Westlife Foodworld Ltd perfectly signifies the vast, glocal food and beverage portfolio that we have created with McDonald’s and its various brand extensions. We are committed to expanding the business with renewed vigour, and this name change will put us in stronger stead for the next leg of growth both for the brand and our company,” said Akshay Jatia, Executive Director, Westlife Foodworld Ltd.

Westlife’s new name reflects the company’s focus on strengthening its business in the food service industry, the company further added.

In its recent earnings report the company said it plans to add 35-40 new restaurants in FY23 and over 200 new restaurants in the next 3-4 years with greater emphasis on smaller and emerging cities.

To be sure, the McDonald’s business in North and East India is managed by Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt. Ltd.