KFC Malaysia Shutdown: Why fried chicken has become ‘collateral damage’ amid global McDonalds and Starbucks boycott

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Israel-Palestine-related boycotts, as per a Reuters report. Although the number of affected stores wasn't specified, local media indicated that over 100 outlets were temporarily shut down, it added. The franchise has 600 outlets in the country.

Also Read | Pro-Palestine Protests: 200 students arrested in the US, police crackdown on campuses continues — All you need to know As per a report by The Straits Times, 20 per cent of the popular fast-food chain's restaurants are temporarily shut. Malaysian newspaper Nanyang Siang Pau said QSR Brands is shutting 108 KFC outlets. It used information gathered from Google Maps to a number which eateries indicated being "temporarily closed".

The majority-Muslim nation of Malaysia has long supported Palestinians, prompting boycotts against certain Western fast-food brands, including KFC, over Israel's actions in Gaza, the publication said. Despite not being officially listed by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, many Malaysians associate all American fast-food chains, including KFC, with links to Israel. And it is this that has hurt business, reports said.

Also Read | Harvard, Yale Students Shout 'Divest!' at Unyielding Universities The boycott, which began in October 2023 amid criticism of Israel's military moves in Gaza post-October 7, has led to a shift in KFC's branding strategy, as per Straits Times. “KFC is not on the BDS list of targeted companies. But many Malaysians see any American fast-food operator to be related to Israel including KFC," Professor Mohd Nazari Ismail, chairman of BDS Malaysia told Straits Times.