The papers this morning carry denials of yesterday?s reports, featured in Wednesday?s DR1 News, that could have been read to imply that Kentucky Fried Chicken was closing down its operations in the Dominican Republic. Diario Libre quotes KFC?s marketing manager, Olga Garc?a, as saying that the closure of the Arroyo Hondo branch was an isolated event caused by administrative problems in the shopping mall, and that a new branch would be opening in a new location in the area soon. She added that KFC has 13 other branches in the DR, employing over 500 people, all of them Dominican.
The Ana Mitila Lora commentary in the List?n mentioned the closing of the KFC location in Arroyo Hondo as an example of the tougher time foreign franchises are having compared to competing local chain stores that have lesser import-related costs.