KFC Relocates Headquarters to Texas After 95 Years
Texas Gains Popularity as a Destination for Corporate Moves
The famous American chicken franchise 'KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken)' is relocating its headquarters to the state of Texas. Texas has recently attracted the headquarters of several global companies due to its business-friendly policies.
On the 18th (local time), the U.S. economic media CNBC reported that KFC's parent company, Yum Brands, plans to move KFC's U.S. headquarters from Louisville, Kentucky to Plano, Texas. KFC intends to relocate 100 headquarters employees to Texas in the future. Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC, is a global foodservice company that owns many major U.S. fast-food franchises such as Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
With this move, KFC will relocate its headquarters outside of Kentucky for the first time since its founding. KFC originally started as a chicken restaurant founded by Harland Sanders, also known as "Colonel Sanders." The first store opened on March 20, 1930, in North Corbin, Kentucky, and 22 years later, in 1952, it opened its first location in Utah, marking the beginning of its expansion across North America and worldwide.
Why would KFC, which emphasizes regional identity so strongly that "Kentucky" is part of its corporate name, move its headquarters to another state? Yum Brands stated that this headquarters relocation is part of its franchise operation plan. Yum Brands had its global headquarters for KFC and Pizza Hut in Plano, Texas, while Taco Bell and others were headquartered in California.
Regarding this, CNBC explained, "Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers are reconsidering their headquarters locations due to tax reductions and changes in office space demand caused by hybrid or remote work." According to the 2023 report by global real estate analysis firm CBRE, Texas has emerged as the most popular location for headquarters relocation thanks to its business-friendly policies.
Not only KFC, but several other global companies in the U.S. are moving their headquarters to Texas. Tesla, the electric vehicle company founded by Elon Musk, moved its corporate domicile from Delaware to Texas, and space technology company SpaceX and social networking service operator X have also relocated their headquarters to Texas.
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