Au Bon Pain signs contract to open 200 locations in Kuwait and Thailand. The Sultan Center, a Kuwait-based retail corporation, signed the agreement to open 100 outlets within the next 10 years in the Middle East and North Africa. ABP Thailand is Au Bon Pain’s partner for Thailand. They ran kiosks and cafes through out the country for more than nine years and will open an additional 100 stores in 5 years. (Boston Globe).

Burger King’s UK system will discontinue TV ads that target children and the placement of commercials in all children’s programs by the middle of December 2006. These changes were made in response to the critics of fast-food advertising in the UK. The country’s equivalent to the US FCC is reportedly meeting to consider a ban on ALL fast-food advertising broadcast before 9pm. (NRN Daily News).

McDonald’s is expecting to open 100 units per year in China, with the hope of having 1,000 locations by 2008. McDonald’s continues to offer new menu options at its Chinese unites ranging from new beverages (Blue Haven, McFizz and others) to sandwiches (Filet-O-Fish, Spicy Filet-O-Fish and others) and other items. (Chicago Sun Times).

Starbucks has bought the High Grown Investment Group Ltd., a Hong Kong-based company that had a controlling interest in the chain’s licensee for Beijing and Tianjin. This purchase will follow the coffee chain to rapidly expand in the Beijing area before the 2008 Olympics. Starbucks currently has 60 units in Beijing and Tianjin and a total of 430 locations throughout China. (NRN Online).