The company operating more than 500 KFC branches in Thailand could be sold, according to a Bloomberg report citing sources familiar with the matter.
Bloomberg reported that Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (ThaiBev), the drinks conglomerate behind Chang beer and SangSom rum, controlled by billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, is considering selling its KFC franchise business in Thailand.
According to the report, ThaiBev is working with Bank of America to gauge buyer interest, though discussions remain ongoing and may not lead to a deal.
The move follows Texas Chicken’s closure of all its Thailand outlets two years earlier, though a potential KFC sale would mean a change of ownership rather than a full exit from the market.
QSR of Asia Company Limited (QSA), a subsidiary of ThaiBev’s food business, is one of three companies holding KFC franchise rights in Thailand, alongside Central Plaza Hotel Public Company Limited and Restaurants Development Company Limited, which is backed by Devyani International.
ThaiBev acquired 240 KFC branches in 2017 for around 11.4 billion baht. QSA now operates more than 500 KFC branches across the country, making it Thailand’s largest KFC franchise holder.
According to financial news outlet Kaohoon International, ThaiBev’s food segment, which includes its KFC business, generated an attributable profit of just 54 million baht on sales of 11,325 million baht in the six months to March 31, 2026.
That represents a profit margin of about 0.5%, and accounted for only 0.34% of ThaiBev’s total group profit of 15,965 million baht over the same period, figures that illustrate the food segment’s comparatively thin returns against the group’s core beverage business.
A sale, if it goes ahead, would not be the first time a Thailand KFC franchisee has explored an exit. Bloomberg reported in 2020 that Restaurants Development Company Limited was weighing a sale of its own KFC franchise business in Thailand for about US$200 million.
That company was reported at the time to operate around 200 KFC branches employing roughly 4,000 staff nationwide.
Bloomberg said ThaiBev had not responded to a request for comment on the latest report, while Bank of America declined to comment.
KFC is operated by Yum Brands, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, which also runs Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.
The story Over 500 KFC Thailand stores could be sold, Bloomberg reports as seen on Thaiger News.
