LOUISVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Yum! Brands announced on Tuesday plans to designate two brand headquarters, located in Plano, Texas and Irvine, California, "to foster greater collaboration among brands and employees."
Brand officials detailed that the "strategic decision" will mean employees that are currently at the KFC U.S. corporate offices in Louisville will be relocated to the KFC and Pizza Hut Global headquarters in Plano.
Officials added that U.S.-based remote employees will be asked to relocate to the campus where their work occurs.
Notably, Yum! Brands and the KFC Foundation will maintain corporate office in Louisville while Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill headquarters will remain in Irvine.
“These changes position us for sustainable growth and will help us better serve our customers, employees, franchisees and shareholders,” said David Gibbs, Yum! Brands Chief Executive Officer. “Ultimately, bringing more of our people together on a consistent basis will maximize our unrivaled culture and talent as a competitive advantage. I’m confident this is another important step in growing our iconic restaurant brands globally.”
Around 100 KFC U.S. corporate roles, according to officials, will be relocated over the next six months, while the relocation of 90 remote jobs will take place over the next 18 months.
"To commemorate its deep-rooted history in Kentucky, Yum! is strengthening its commitment to advancing higher education locally by providing a $1 million endowment to the College of Business at the University of Louisville to fund Yum!-sponsored scholarships for students throughout Kentucky and further support the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence," a release from Yum! Brands read.
The release stated that KFC will continue its brand presence in Louisville "with the ambition of building a first-of-its-kind flagship restaurant."
