McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) said Monday it will invite five or six senior officials from McDonald's Corp. of the United States and other overseas firms to assume executive posts at McDonald's Co. (Japan).
Eiko Harada, vice chairman and president of McDonald's Holdings, said he hopes the foreign executives will "fill what is lacking in management by Japanese."
The foreign senior officials are expected to join eight Japanese operating officers at McDonald's (Japan) in restructuring the fast-food chain's management, officials of the holding company said.
McDonald's Holdings, 50 percent owned by McDonald's Corp., saw a group net profit of 1.12 billion yen in the January-June half of the current business year, up more than eightfold from the same period a year ago.
The hamburger restaurant operator saw its first net loss in 29 years in its 2002 business year, due partly to the implementation of a different pricing strategy, and it remained in the red in 2003.
In a recent interview, Harada, former chief executive officer of Apple Japan Inc., said he will not change the basic policy of McDonald's (Japan) to "provide the same products at the same reasonable prices nationwide."
McDonald's rival Mos Food Services Inc. has announced it will introduce "high quality" hamburgers priced at 880 yen each later this month. The strategy is a turnaround from a policy of cutting prices adopted by domestic hamburger outlets in 2001 to 2002.
McDonald's stores had offered its regular hamburgers for 59 yen each at one point amid the deflationary economy; it now sells them for 84 yen. Its McGrand hamburgers, which have a larger beef patty, are priced at 315 yen and 399 yen.
Harada also said in the interview he will grant flexibility to McDonald's outlets to set their opening and closing hours in a bid to increase sales.