McDonald's to buy back Israel franchise following boycotts
The deal, announced on Thursday (4 April), will see the fast food giant take back ownership of 225 restaurants in the country, which employ more than 5,000 staff.
It comes after McDonald’s found itself the subject of boycotts and protests around the world after Alonyal announced in the early days of the Israel-Hamas conflict that it had donated thousands of free meals to troops in the Israeli military.
Omri Padan, CEO and owner of Alonyal Limited, confirmed that an agreement to sell Alonyal to McDonald’s Corporation had been signed.
Upon completion of the transaction, McDonald’s Corporation will own Alonyal Limited’s restaurants and operations, and employees will be retained on equivalent terms.
“For more than 30 years, Alonyal Limited has been proud to bring the Golden Arches to Israel and serve our communities,” Padan said.
“We’ve grown the brand to be the leading and most successful restaurant chain in Israel and are grateful to our management, employees, suppliers, and customers who made this possible. We are encouraged by what the future holds.”
McDonald’s added in its own statement that it ‘remains committed to the Israeli market’ going forwards.
“We thank Alonyal Limited for building the McDonald’s business and brand in Israel over the past 30 years,” said Jo Sempels, president of international developmental licensed markets at McDonald’s Corporation.
“McDonald’s remains committed to the Israeli market and to ensuring a positive employee and customer experience in the market going forward.”
The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
