THE coronavirus pandemic isn’t slowing Popeyes’ expansion plans in China, even after the deadly pathogen caused a record collapse in the country’s restaurant sector.

China will become the fast-food chain’s second-largest market in two-to-three years, Raphael Coelho, chief executive officer of Popeyes China, said in an interview Tuesday.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc., a unit of Restaurant Brands International Inc., which also owns the Burger King and Tim Hortons chains, is sticking to its plan to open 1,500 outlets in the next 10 years.

Popeyes is trying to bring its signature Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich into the Chinese market during one of the most perilous times for restaurants. The sector suffered a record collapse in the March quarter, with a 44 percent sales plunge from a year ago as the economy ground to a halt. E-commerce sales rose 5.9 percent as consumers were forced to eat at home.

The opening of Popeyes’ first store in Shanghai was pushed back to this week from the end March as the virus outbreak caused social restrictions and lockdowns. But Coelho said the company is seeing a rebound in the world’s biggest consumer market that gives it confidence to keep the aggressive expansion plan. (SD-Agencies)