Yum says it will sell its stake in China unit ahead of a spinoff

Yum Brands says it will sell a stake in its China unit, which the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut is spinning off later this year.

The Louisville-based company said it struck deals to sell stakes to private equity firm Primavera Capital Group, and online and mobile financial services provider Ant Financial Services Group for a total of $460 million. It said Primavera founder Fred Hu will become non-executive chairman of Yum China’s board.

The deal and the spinoff are expected to be completed Oct. 31. The company said shares of Yum China will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange the next day under the ticker “YUMC.”

Yum Brands Inc. previously announced the spinoff of its China business, which has come under pressure after food scares and marketing missteps that hurt sales at KFC and Pizza Hut. Last year, sales at established restaurants were down 4 percent for the China unit, after a 5 percent decline the previous year.

Yum has more than 7,000 KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants in China, a key region for the company that accounts for about half its revenue. That’s because the company owns its restaurants, while it franchises considerably more in other parts of the world, including the United States.

Yum also owns Taco Bell.

This story was originally published September 2, 2016 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Yum says it will sell its stake in China unit ahead of a spinoff."