Yum! Brands (YUM 0.75%) is continuing to be affected by health scares in Asia's largest nation. In an SEC filing, the company said its March same-store sales in its China division fell by roughly 13% in March. The decline was more pronounced at the company's KFC chicken restaurants, which saw a drop of approximately 16%. The figure for Pizza Hut was 4%.
Yum! Brands attributed the declines to the latest outbreak of bird flu in the country. In the filing, the company said: "[P]ublicity associated with avian flu in China has had a significant, negative impact on KFC sales. Historically in these situations, we have educated consumers that properly cooked chicken is perfectly safe to eat, and we will continue to do so."
