(Reuters) – Yum Brands (YUM) on Wednesday warned that it is taking longer than expected for its China business to recover from a safety scare involving a minor supplier, and reported that fourth-quarter sales at established restaurants there fell 16 percent.
Yum’s China same-restaurant sales were down 14 percent in the third quarter ended Sept. 6. They were up 15 percent in the second quarter, which ended roughly a month before news of the supplier scandal broke on July 20.