International Desk

KFC has reduced its operations in Malaysia, shuttering more than 100 restaurants temporarily after months of a persistent pro-Palestine boycott of US-linked businesses triggered by the ongoing war in Gaza.

QSR Brands, which owns and operates the KFC fast-food franchise in Malaysia, is suspending 108 outlets nationwide, the Nanyang Siang Pau Chinese-language daily said, based on information from Google Maps.

The maps show which KFC stores have had their status updated to show “temporarily closed”.

A source at QSR, who declined to be named, said the company sees the boycott as an opportunity to cease some of the KFC store operations that have weighed on its balance sheet.

Checks by The Straits Times on three outlets in Kuala Lumpur in Jalan Ipoh, Jalan Sultan and Taman Melawati found signs saying they were “temporarily closed”. Boxes were seen stacked up inside the restaurants. Workers at neighbouring stores said they were closed a week ago due to a lack of customers.

“KFC is not on the BDS list of targeted companies. But many Malaysians see any American fast food operator to be related to Israel including KFC,” Professor Mohd Nazari Ismail, chairman of pro-Palestinian group Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Malaysia, told ST.

Since the boycott began in October 2023, KFC has also shifted its branding strategy, with signs on their menu boards and distributing flyers emphasising that it is owned by Johor Corporation, which belongs to the Johor state government.

“To mitigate the impact of the boycott, QSR changed its branding strategy to become more Islamic on its website in the fourth quarter of last year,” said the source.

The company’s website said that its businesses provide “employment opportunities for over 30,000 employees, of whom 86 per cent are Muslims”.

In the state of Kedah, 11 outlets have closed, according to Nanyang Siang Pau.

Entrepreneur Amri Hasim from Alor Setar in Kedah told ST that since the boycott began, he has received many job applications from KFC workers, and that its outlets there had reduced their operating hours from 24 hours a day to 12.

“They told me that their salary has been slashed by half. Their basic salary was RM1,500 (S$430) a month and with overtime, they used to earn roughly RM2,000. Now their take-home pay is around RM600 to RM700,” said the 43-year-old who runs a family business producing goat’s milk soap.

There are more than 600 KFC restaurants in Malaysia, according to the QSR website.

KFC and a few other US-based brands such as Starbucks and McDonald’s have been facing boycotts due to their perceived link to Israel since the war in Gaza started on Oct 7, 2023.

QSR also operates KFC restaurants in Singapore, Brunei and Cambodia, as well as more than 480 Pizza Hut stores in Malaysia and Singapore.

North-east Kelantan state is the worst-affected with nearly 80 per cent, or up to 21 outlets, halting their operations, followed by 15 outlets in Johor, Nanyang Siang Pau said.

Selangor, the most industrialised state in Malaysia, has 11 branches temporarily closed, 10 of which are located in Malay-majority Shah Alam.

Source: The Straits Times