The KING Enters Poland - His Way

MIAMI - Burger King Europe GmbH, a subsidiary of Burger King Corporation (NYSE:BKC), has awarded development rights for Poland to American Restaurants Sp. z.o.o., a subsidiary of AmRest Holdings N.V. (AmRest). AmRest is based in Wroclaw, Poland.

The first BURGER KING® restaurant in Poland is scheduled to open in the second quarter of the calendar year. The restaurant will be in Warsaw’s new premium mall, Zlote Tarasy, which is one of the largest multi-use developments under construction in Europe. Based in the heart of Warsaw’s central business district, the restaurant will be among 220 shops and retail outlets, providing the ideal platform for Burger King’s entry into the Polish market. Additional restaurant openings are scheduled during the next five years.

Commenting on the agreement, Peter Robinson, president of Burger King Europe, said, “We are very pleased to announce our expansion into Poland, which is part of our overall growth plan to increase our presence in both existing European BURGER KING® markets and in strategic new ones. AmRest’s expertise as the top quick service and casual dining restaurants operator in Central and Eastern Europe means that it is the ideal strategic franchisee to spearhead Burger King’s entry into Poland. We look forward to a long and successful working relationship.”

Henry McGovern, founder and CEO of AmRest, said, “We are excited about this opportunity to bring the BURGER KING® brand to Poland. AmRest has a clear strategy operating scalable and highly profitable branded restaurant concepts. Through our ‘Everything is possible!’ culture, we strive to deliver a taste consumers crave and exceptional service at affordable prices. AmRest has outstanding experience in the Polish and Central and Eastern European marketplace, and we are confident that our customers will love the great flame-grilled taste of BURGER KING® products.”

AmRest employs more than 6,100 people and manages 200 restaurants, including 138 in Poland, 44 in the Czech Republic and 18 in Hungary. Established in 1993, it has enjoyed success as the franchisee of such YUM! brands as KFC and Pizza Hut and as the owner of its own brands: Rodeo Drive and FreshPoint. Since 2005, AmRest shares have traded publicly on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.