Yum China Holdings, Inc. - Annual Report: 2016 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the transition period from                  to                 

Commission file number 001-37762

Yum China Holdings, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(Address, including Zip Code, of Principal Executive Offices)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (972) 338-7530

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes      No ✓

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes      No ✓

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ✓ No     

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ✓ No     

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☑

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check one):  Large accelerated filer:  ☐  Accelerated filer:  ☐  Non-accelerated filer:  ☑  Smaller reporting company:  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes      No ✓

As of May 31, 2016, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the registrant’s common stock was not traded on any exchange or over-the-counter market. The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s common stock as of February 28, 2017 was 384,311,143 shares.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the definitive proxy statement for the registrant’s 2017 annual meeting of stockholders (the “2017 Proxy Statement”), to be filed not later than 120 days after the end of the registrant’s fiscal year, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

Forward-Looking Statements

This annual report on Form 10-K (this “Form 10-K”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (referred to herein as “Exchange Act”).  We intend all forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts.  These statements often include words such as “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “intend,” “seek,” “expect,” “project,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “predict,” “likely,” “should,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “model,” “continue,” “ongoing” or other similar terminology.  Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates, assumptions or projections concerning future results or events, including, without limitation, statements regarding our new store development plans, growth and margin expansion opportunities, expected franchisee ownership mix and benefits from VAT reform. Forward-looking statements are neither predictions nor guarantees of future events, circumstances or performance and are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results and events to differ materially from those indicated by those forward-looking statements.  We cannot assure you that any of our expectations, estimates, assumptions or projections will be achieved.  Factors that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from our expectations, estimates, assumptions or projections include (i) the risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors included in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K and (ii) the factors described in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included in Part II, Item 7 of this Form 10-K.  You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.  We disclaim any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law.

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2016 Form 10-K

PART I

Yum China Holdings, Inc. (referred to herein as “Yum China” and, together with its subsidiaries the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our”) was incorporated in Delaware on April 1, 2016. The Company’s U.S. office is located at 7100 Corporate Drive, Plano, Texas, 75024, which carries on the key book-keeping, record-keeping and day-to-day management functions of the holding company, and the telephone number at that location is (972) 338-7530. The Company’s operational headquarters is located at 16/F Two Grand Gateway, 3 Hong Qiao Road, Shanghai, 200030, People’s Republic of China (the “PRC” or “China”), where its senior management team is based. Our website address is http://www.yumchina.com. The reference to the Company’s website address is for informational purposes only, does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on the website and should not be considered part of this Form 10-K.

“U.S. dollars”, “$” or “US$” refers to the legal currency of the United States, and “RMB” or “Renminbi” refers to the legal currency of China.

References to “our” or “the Company’s” restaurants or restaurant system include references to restaurants owned or franchised by us.

Spin-off Transaction

The Company separated from Yum! Brands, Inc. (“YUM” or the “Parent”) on October 31, 2016 (the “separation”), becoming an independent, publicly traded company as a result of a pro rata distribution (the “distribution”) of all outstanding shares of Yum China common stock to shareholders of YUM. On October 31, 2016, YUM’s shareholders of record as of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 19, 2016 received one share of Yum China common stock for every one share of YUM common stock held as of the record date. Yum China’s common stock began trading “regular way” under the ticker symbol “YUMC” on the New York Stock Exchange on November 1, 2016.

In connection with the separation of the Company from YUM, Yum! Restaurants Asia Pte. Ltd. (“YRAPL”), a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of YUM, and Yum Restaurants Consulting (Shanghai) Company Limited (“YCCL”), a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Yum China, entered into a 50-year master license agreement with automatic renewals for additional consecutive renewal terms of 50 years each, subject only to YCCL being in “good standing” and unless YCCL gives notice of its intent not to renew, for the exclusive right to use and sublicense the use of intellectual property owned by YUM and its subsidiaries for the development, promotion and operation of the KFC, Pizza Hut and, subject to achieving certain agreed upon milestones, Taco Bell brands and their related marks and other intellectual property rights for restaurant services in the PRC, excluding Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. In exchange, we pay a license fee to YUM equal to 3% of net system sales from both our Company and franchise restaurants. We own the East Dawning and Little Sheep intellectual property and pay no license fee related to these concepts.

The KFC, Pizza Hut, East Dawning, Little Sheep and Taco Bell brands are collectively referred to as the “brands.” The KFC, Pizza Hut Casual Dining, Pizza Hut Home Service, East Dawning, Little Sheep and Taco Bell concepts are collectively referred to as the “Concepts.” Throughout this Form 10-K, the terms “restaurants,” “stores” and “units” are used interchangeably.

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General

We are the largest restaurant company in China, with over 7,500 restaurants as of year-end 2016, and $6.8 billion of revenue, net income of $502 million and $1.13 billion of adjusted EBITDA in 2016. Our growing restaurant base consists of China’s leading restaurant concepts, including KFC, Pizza Hut Casual Dining, Pizza Hut Home Service, East Dawning, Little Sheep and Taco Bell. We have the exclusive right to operate and sub-license the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands in China, and own the East Dawning and Little Sheep concepts outright. We were the first major global restaurant brand to enter China in 1987 and we have developed deep experience operating in the market. We have since grown to become one of China’s largest retail developers covering over 1,100 cities and opening an average of two new locations per day over the past five years.

As of December 31, 2016, we owned and operated approximately 90% of our restaurants. Franchisees contribute to our revenues on an ongoing basis through the payment of royalties based on a percentage of sales. KFC is the leading quick-service restaurant (“QSR”) brand in China in terms of system sales and number of restaurants. As of December 31, 2016, KFC operated over 5,200 restaurants in over 1,100 cities across China. Measured by number of restaurants, we believe KFC has a two-to-one lead over the nearest Western QSR competitor in China and KFC continues to grow in both large and small cities. Similarly, Pizza Hut Casual Dining is the leading casual dining restaurant (“CDR”) concept in China as measured by system sales and number of restaurants. We believe Pizza Hut Casual Dining, with over 1,700 restaurants in over 400 cities as of December 31, 2016, has an approximately six-to-one lead in terms of restaurants over its nearest Western CDR competitor in China.

Restaurant Concepts

Most restaurants in each Concept offer consumers the ability to dine in and/or carry out food. In addition, KFC, Pizza Hut Casual Dining, Pizza Hut Home Service and East Dawning offer delivery service.

Each Concept has proprietary menu items, many developed in China, and emphasizes the preparation of food with high quality ingredients, as well as unique recipes and special seasonings to provide appealing, tasty and convenient food at competitive prices.

Following is a brief description of each Concept:

KFC

KFC is the largest restaurant brand in China in terms of system sales and number of restaurants. Founded in Corbin, Kentucky by Colonel Harland D. Sanders in 1939, KFC opened its first restaurant in Beijing, China in 1987. As of December 31 2016, almost 30 years later, there were over 5,200 KFC restaurants in China, and the Company plans to continue adding new units. In addition to Original Recipe chicken, KFC in China has an extensive menu featuring pork, seafood, rice dishes, fresh vegetables, soups, congee, desserts and many other products, including premium coffee. The KFC brand is also seeking to increase revenues from its restaurants throughout the day with breakfast, delivery and 24-hour operations in many of its locations.

Pizza Hut Casual Dining

Pizza Hut Casual Dining is the largest Western CDR brand in China as measured by system sales and number of restaurants. It operates in over 400 cities and offers multiple dayparts, including breakfast and afternoon tea. The first Pizza Hut Casual Dining restaurant in China opened in 1990, and as of year-end 2016 , there were over 1,700 Pizza Hut Casual Dining restaurants in China. Pizza Hut Casual Dining has an extensive menu offering a broad variety of pizzas, entrees, pasta, rice dishes, appetizers, beverages and desserts. In 2016, Pizza Hut Casual Dining was again ranked the “Most Preferred Western Casual Dining Restaurant” in China by The Nielsen Corporation.

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Other Concepts

Pizza Hut Home Service. The Company introduced pizza delivery to China in 2001, and as of December 31, 2016 there were over 360 Pizza Hut Home Service units in over 50 cities in China, specializing in professional and convenient delivery of Chinese food as well as pizza. Over 80% of the brand’s orders came through online or mobile channels in 2016. We believe its professional service and diverse menu provide a strong platform for continued growth in the future.

Little Sheep. A casual-dining brand with its roots in Inner Mongolia, China, Little Sheep specializes in “Hot Pot” cooking, which is very popular in China, particularly during the winter months. Little Sheep had over 240 units in both China and international markets as of December 31, 2016. Of these, over 200 units were franchised.

East Dawning. East Dawning is a Chinese food QSR brand, primarily located in large coastal cities. There were 13 restaurants as of year-end 2016. This brand is not viewed as a significant growth engine for the Company.

Taco Bell. Taco Bell is the world’s leading QSR brand specializing in Mexican-style food, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, salads, nachos and similar items. The Company opened its first Taco Bell restaurant in Shanghai, China, in December 2016.

Reportable Segments

We have two reportable segments: KFC and Pizza Hut Casual Dining. We also have four other operating segments consisting of the operations of Pizza Hut Home Service, East Dawning, Little Sheep and Taco Bell, which are combined and referred to as All Other Segments.

In the first quarter of 2017, we started discussions on integrating the management and business approach for Pizza Hut Casual Dining and Pizza Hut Home Service which allow us to create a network of approximately 2,000 stores for pizza delivery. As we make progress on implementing changes, we will continue to evaluate the impact on reportable segments.

The following table presents the total segment revenue attributable to each reportable segment for each of the last three years.

See Note 18 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8. for additional information concerning the Company’s segments.

Our Strategies

The Company’s primary strategy is to grow sales and profits across its portfolio of brands through increased brand relevance, new store development and enhanced unit economics. Other areas of investment include store remodels, product innovation and quality, improved operating platforms leading to improved service, store-level human resources including recruiting and training, creative marketing programs and product testing.

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New-Unit Growth

Rapidly growing consumer class. Given the rapidly expanding middle class, we believe that there is significant opportunity to expand within China, and we intend to focus our efforts on increasing our geographic footprint in both existing and new markets. We expanded our restaurant count from 4,493 units in 2011 to 7,562 units as of the end of 2016, representing a compounded annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 11%.

Franchise opportunity. As of December 31, 2016, approximately 10% of our restaurants were operated by franchisees. Going forward, we anticipate high franchisee demand for our brands, supported by strong unit economics, operational consistency and simplicity, and multiple store types to drive restaurant growth. While the franchise market in China is still in its early stages compared to developed markets, the Company plans to continue to increase its franchisee-owned store percentage over time.

Development pipeline. We consider our development pipeline to be robust, and believe we have an opportunity to grow our restaurant count three times over the next two to three decades. For additional information on the risks associated with this growth strategy, see the section entitled “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” including the risk factor entitled “We may not attain our target development goals; aggressive development could cannibalize existing sales; and new restaurants may not be profitable.” We also believe the opportunity to expand Taco Bell restaurants and other Concepts could further increase our total unit count.

Same-Store Sales Growth

Flavor innovation. We are keenly aware of the strength of our core menu items but we also seek to continue to introduce innovative items to meet evolving consumer preferences and local tastes, while simultaneously maintaining brand relevance and broadening brand appeal. For example, KFC offers soy bean milk, fried dough sticks and congee for breakfast. In addition to breakfast, KFC has introduced rice dishes, Peking style chicken twisters, roasted chicken products, egg tarts and fresh lemon/calamansi tea.

Daypart opportunities. We believe there are significant daypart opportunities across our brands. For example, KFC  introduced premium coffee to expand its breakfast and afternoon dayparts and Pizza Hut Casual Dining has focused on breakfast and afternoon tea to further grow same-store sales.

Customer frequency through mobile connectivity. KFC rolled out its K-Gold loyalty program in 2015 with the eventual goal of a fully digitized customer experience. The brand also plans to improve the customer experience through ease of ordering and speed of service, supported by innovative technology. Pizza Hut Casual Dining is a leader in providing a digital experience with its loyalty program, free in-store Wi-Fi, queue ticketing and pre-ordering, partnering with Alipay and WeChat to receive cashless payments. As of December 31, 2016, our loyalty programs have over 80 million members between KFC and Pizza Hut and are ranked #1 in the restaurant industry worldwide in terms of number of members.

Best in-store experience. The Company continuously looks for ways to improve the customer experience. For example, with continued investment in refurbishing our restaurants, over 75% of KFC’s store portfolio as of December 31, 2016 has been remodeled or built in the past five years. Pizza Hut Casual Dining is also well-regarded for offering consumers a contemporary casual dining setting. Our brands also look to improve efficiency to drives sales growth. For example, we are simplifying menu boards and fine-tuning our digital menu boards and in-store self-service order devices. We are also exploring expansion of our delivery business through online-to-offline, or O2O (known as aggregators).

Value innovation. KFC plans to continue to focus on value with product offerings such as the bucket and increased combo options throughout the day. Pizza Hut Casual Dining expects to leverage past innovations like business lunch set and breakfast to drive growth.

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O2O and home delivery. China is a world leader in the emerging O2O market. This is where digital online ordering technologies interact with traditional brick and mortar retail to enhance the shopping experience. In the restaurant sector, KFC and Pizza Hut Home Service are already leading brands in home delivery in terms of online sales in China. We see considerable further growth potential in the rapidly growing in-home consumption market by aligning our proven restaurant operation capabilities with emerging specialized O2O firms, or aggregators, that offer consumers the ability to order any restaurant food at home. Pizza Hut Home Service started partnering with aggregators in 2014, followed by KFC and Pizza Hut Casual Dining in 2015. These aggregators include our restaurants in their mobile or online platforms and we generate revenue when orders placed through the platforms are delivered to the customers. We use our own staff, including outsourced riders, to deliver orders placed through aggregators’ platforms to customers of KFC and Pizza Hut Home Service, while we use the aggregators’ delivery services, for which we pay a commission, for Pizza Hut Casual Dining orders. For orders that are placed through the platforms, customers make payments to the aggregators through either mobile payment applications, such as WeChat and Alipay, which are managed by third-party payment processors, or cash upon delivery. For transactions with payments collected by the aggregators from customers, the aggregators settle the amount with third-party payment processors and remit the proceeds to the restaurants generally within a few business days, with limited exceptions. In 2016, approximately 10% of the Company’s sales were generated from delivery. This could be an exciting new business opportunity with potential to create substantial stockholder value.

Enhanced Profitability

We focus on improving our unit-level economics and overall profits while also making the necessary investments to support our future growth. Since we increased our focus on restaurant margin improvement in late 2013, restaurant margins improved over three percentage points from 2014 to 2016. We plan to pursue additional opportunities to improve profits over the long term by continuing our focus on fiscal discipline and leveraging fixed costs, while maintaining the quality customer experience for which our brands are known.

Franchise and New Business Development

The franchise programs of the Company are designed to promote consistency and quality, and the Company is selective in granting franchisees. Franchisees supply capital – initially by paying a franchise fee to the Company and by purchasing or leasing the land use right, building, equipment, signs, seating, inventories and supplies; and, over the longer term, by reinvesting in the business through expansion. As of December 31, 2016, franchisees owned and operated about 10% of our restaurants. Franchisees contribute to the Company’s revenues on an ongoing basis through the payment of royalties based on a percentage of sales.

The Company believes that it is important to maintain strong and open relationships with its franchisees and their representatives. To this end, the Company invests a significant amount of time working with the franchisees and their representative organizations on key aspects of the business, including products, equipment, operational improvements and standards and management techniques.

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Restaurant Operations

Restaurant management structure varies among our brands and by unit size. Generally, each restaurant operated by the Company is led by a Restaurant General Manager (“RGM”), together with one or more Assistant Managers. RGMs are skilled and highly trained, with most having a college-level education. Each brand issues detailed manuals, which may then be customized to meet local regulations and customs. These manuals set forth standards and requirements for all aspects of restaurant operations, including food safety and quality, food handling and product preparation procedures, equipment maintenance, facility standards and accounting control procedures. The restaurant management teams are responsible for the day-to-day operation of each unit and for ensuring compliance with operating standards. The performance of RGMs is regularly monitored and coached by Area Managers. In addition, senior operations leaders regularly visit restaurants to promote adherence to system standards and mentor restaurant teams.

Supply and Distribution

The Company’s restaurants, including those operated by franchisees, are substantial purchasers of a number of food and paper products, equipment and other restaurant supplies. The principal items purchased include chicken, cheese, beef and pork products and paper and packaging materials. The Company has not experienced any significant, continuous shortages of supplies, and alternative sources for most of these products are generally available. Prices paid for these supplies fluctuate. When prices increase, the brands may attempt to pass on such increases to their customers, although there is no assurance that this can be done practically.

The Company partners with approximately 600 independent suppliers, mostly China-based, providing a wide range of products. The Company, along with multiple independently owned and operated distributors, utilizes 17 logistics centers and one consolidation center to distribute restaurant products to owned and franchised stores. The Company also owns a seasoning facility in Inner Mongolia, which supplies products to the Little Sheep business, as well as to third-party customers.

Prior to August 2016, all restaurants that operate the Company’s Concepts, including those owned by franchisees and unconsolidated affiliates, entered into purchase agreements with each of our approved third-party suppliers for raw materials with agreed pricing guidelines applicable to all entities. To improve efficiency and effectiveness of the procurement process, in August 2016, the Company adopted a central procurement model whereby the Company centrally purchases substantially all food and paper products from approved suppliers for most of the restaurants regardless of ownership and then onward sells and delivers them to most of the legal entities, including franchisees and unconsolidated affiliates, that operate the Company’s restaurants. The Company believes this central procurement model allows the Company to maintain quality control and achieves better prices and terms through volume purchases. Under the central procurement model, the materials purchased from various suppliers are intended to be sold to most of the legal entities on a cost-plus basis. The ordering process remains the same under the central procurement model except that the legal title of all materials is initially under the Company instead of the other legal entities. As a result, net inventory, receivables due from franchisees and unconsolidated affiliates, and payables due to suppliers increased as of December 31, 2016.

Food safety is the top priority at the Company. Food safety systems include rigorous standards and training of employees in our restaurants and distribution system, as well as requirements for suppliers. These standards and training topics include, but are not limited to, employee health, product handling, ingredient and product temperature management and prevention of cross contamination. Food safety training is focused on illness prevention, food safety and regulation adherence in day-to-day operations. Our standards also promote compliance with applicable laws and regulations when building new or renovating existing restaurants. For further information on food safety issues, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—Food safety and food-borne illness concerns may have an adverse effect on our reputation and business”.

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Trademarks and Patents

The Company’s use of certain material trademarks and service marks is governed by a master license agreement between YRAPL and YCCL. The Company is the exclusive licensee of the KFC, Pizza Hut and, subject to achieving certain agreed upon milestones, Taco Bell brands and their related marks and other intellectual property rights for restaurant services in the PRC, excluding Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. The term of the license is 50 years with automatic renewals for additional consecutive renewal terms of 50 years each, subject only to YCCL being in “good standing” and unless YCCL gives notice of its intent not to renew.

The Company’s use of certain other material intellectual property (including intellectual property in product recipes, restaurant operation and restaurant design) is likewise governed by the master license agreement with YRAPL.

The Company owns registered trademarks and service marks relating to the East Dawning and Little Sheep brands. Collectively, these licensed and owned marks have significant value and are important to the Company’s business. The Company’s policy is to pursue registration of our important intellectual property rights whenever feasible and to oppose vigorously any infringement of our rights.

Working Capital

Information about the Company’s working capital is included in MD&A in Part II, Item 7. and the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Cash Flows in Part II, Item 8.

Seasonality

Due to the nature of our operations, the Company has experienced higher sales during holidays and summer months.

Competition

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China indicates that sales in the consumer food service market in China totaled over $500 billion in 2016. Industry conditions vary by region, with local Chinese restaurants and Western chains present, but the Company possesses the largest market share (as measured by both units and system sales). On average, competition in China is less compared to the United States, and branded QSR units per population are well below that of the United States. However, competition is increasing, and the Company still competes with respect to food quality, price, service, convenience, restaurant location and concept. The restaurant business is often affected by changes in consumer tastes; national, regional or local economic conditions; demographic trends; traffic patterns; the type, number and location of competing restaurants; and disposable income. The Company competes not only for consumers but also for management and hourly personnel and suitable real estate sites. Among KFC’s primary competitors in China are restaurant chains such as McDonald’s and Dicos. Pizza Hut’s Western pizza-brand competitors include Domino’s and Papa John’s.

Research and Development (“R&D”)

The Company operates a test kitchen in Shanghai, China to promote product innovation. From time to time, the Company also works with independent suppliers to conduct R&D activities for the benefit of the Company. The Company expensed $5 million in each of 2016, 2015 and 2014 for R&D activities.

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Government Regulations

The Company is subject to various laws affecting its business, including laws and regulations concerning information security, labor, health, sanitation and safety. Each of the Concepts’ restaurants must comply with licensing and regulation by a number of governmental authorities, which include restaurant operation, health, sanitation, food safety, environmental protection and fire agencies in the province and/or municipality in which the restaurant is located. The Company has not historically been materially adversely affected by such licensing and regulation or by any difficulty, delay or failure to obtain required licenses or approvals. The Company is also subject to tariffs and regulations on imported commodities and equipment and laws regulating foreign investment, as well as anti-bribery and corruption laws. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for a discussion of risks relating to federal, state, provincial, local and international governmental regulation of our business.

Regulations Relating to Dividend Distribution

The Chinese laws, rules and regulations applicable to our China subsidiaries permit payments of dividends only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with applicable accounting standards and regulations. In addition, under Chinese law, an enterprise incorporated in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, after making up previous years’ accumulated losses, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds, until the aggregate amount of such a fund reaches 50% of its registered capital. As a result, our China subsidiaries are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets to us in the form of dividends. At the discretion of their board of directors, as enterprises incorporated in China, our China subsidiaries may allocate a portion of their after-tax profits based on China accounting standards to staff welfare and bonus funds. These reserve funds and staff welfare and bonus funds are not distributable as cash dividends.

Regulations Relating to Taxation

Enterprise Income Tax. Under the China Enterprise Income Tax Law (the “EIT Law”) and its implementation rules, a China resident enterprise is subject to Chinese enterprise income tax in respect of its net taxable income derived from sources inside and outside China. The term “resident enterprise” refers to any enterprise established in China and any enterprise established outside China with a “de facto management body” within China.

Our China subsidiaries are regarded as China resident enterprises by virtue of their incorporation in China, and are generally subject to Chinese enterprise income tax on their worldwide income at the current uniform rate of 25%, unless reduced under certain specific qualifying criteria. Our China subsidiaries may deduct reasonable expenses that are actually incurred and are related to the generation of their income, including interest and other borrowing expenses, amortization of land use rights and depreciation of buildings and certain fixed assets, subject to any restrictions that may be imposed under the EIT Law, its implementation regulations and any applicable tax notices and circulars issued by the Chinese government or tax authorities.

Yum China and each subsidiary of Yum China that is organized outside of China intends to conduct its management functions in a manner that does not cause it to be a China resident enterprise, including by carrying on its day-to-day management activities and maintaining its key records, such as resolutions of its board of directors and resolutions of stockholders, outside of China. As such, we do not believe that Yum China or any of its non-Chinese subsidiaries should be considered a China resident enterprise for purposes of the EIT Law, and should not be subject to Chinese enterprise income tax on that basis. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Under the EIT Law, if we are classified as a China resident enterprise for Chinese enterprise income tax purposes, such classification would likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-Chinese stockholders.”

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Value-Added Tax / Business Tax and Local Surcharges. Effective on May 1, 2016, a 6% value-added tax (“VAT”) on output replaced the 5% business tax (“BT”) that has historically been applied to certain restaurant sales under the China Provisional Regulations on Business Tax. Pursuant to Circular Caishui [2016] No. 36 jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation (“SAT”), beginning May 1, 2016, any entity engaged in the provision of catering services in China is generally required to pay VAT at the rate of 6% on revenues generated from the provision of such services, less any creditable VAT already paid or borne by such entity upon purchase of materials and services. Local surcharges generally ranging from 7% to 13%, varying with the location of the relevant China subsidiary, are imposed on the amount of VAT payable. On December 21, 2016, Circular Caishui [2016] No. 140 was jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and the SAT, pursuant to which it was confirmed that an entity engaged in catering services shall pay VAT at the rate of 6% on revenues generated from the provision of take-out food.

Repatriation of Dividends from Our China Subsidiaries. Dividends (if any) paid by our China subsidiaries to their direct offshore parent company are subject to Chinese withholding income tax at the rate of 10%, provided that such dividends are not effectively connected with any establishment or place of the offshore parent company in China. The 10% withholding income tax rate may be reduced or exempted pursuant to the provisions of any applicable tax treaties or tax arrangements entered into by China. In the event that any dividend is or is deemed paid to Yum China, it is subject to U.S. federal income tax with credits for foreign taxes paid, and the utilization of foreign tax credits is subject to complex limitations.  

Gains on Direct Disposal of Equity Interests in Our China Subsidiaries. Under the EIT Law and its implementation rules, gains derived by non-resident enterprises from the sale of equity interests in a China resident enterprise are subject to Chinese withholding income tax at the rate of 10%. The 10% withholding income tax rate may be reduced or exempted pursuant to applicable tax treaties or tax arrangements. The gains are computed based on the difference between the sales proceeds and the original investment basis. Stamp duty is also payable upon a direct transfer of equity interest in a China resident enterprise. The stamp duty is calculated at 0.05% on the transfer value, payable by each of the transferor and transferee. We may be subject to these taxes in the event of any future sale by us of a China resident enterprise.

Gains on Indirect Disposal of Equity Interests in Our China Subsidiaries. In February 2015, the SAT issued the SAT’s Bulletin on Several Issues of Enterprise Income Tax on Income Arising from Indirect Transfers of Property by Non-resident Enterprises (“Bulletin 7”). Pursuant to Bulletin 7, an “indirect transfer” of Chinese taxable assets, including equity interests in a China resident enterprise (“Chinese interests”), by a non-resident enterprise, may be recharacterized and treated as a direct transfer of Chinese taxable assets, if such arrangement does not have reasonable commercial purpose and the transferor avoids payment of Chinese enterprise income tax. Where a non-resident enterprise conducts an “indirect transfer” of Chinese interests by disposing of equity interests in an offshore holding company, the transferor, transferee and/or the China resident enterprise being indirectly transferred may report such indirect transfer to the relevant Chinese tax authority, which may in turn report upward to the SAT. Using general anti-tax avoidance provisions, the SAT may treat such indirect transfer as a direct transfer of Chinese interests if the transfer avoids Chinese tax by way of an arrangement without reasonable commercial purpose. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to Chinese enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer would be obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of up to 10% of the capital gain in the case of an indirect transfer of equity interests in a China resident enterprise. Both the transferor and the party obligated to withhold the applicable taxes may be subject to penalties under Chinese tax laws if the transferor fails to pay the taxes and the party obligated to withhold the applicable taxes fails to withhold the taxes.

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The above regulations do not apply if either (i) the selling non-resident enterprise recognizes the relevant gain by purchasing and selling equity of the same listed enterprise in the open market (the “listed enterprise exception”); or (ii) the selling non-resident enterprise would have been exempted from enterprise income tax in China pursuant to applicable tax treaties or tax arrangements, if it had directly held and transferred such Chinese interests that were indirectly transferred. Under current law, the China indirect transfer rules do not apply to gains recognized by individual stockholders, regardless of whether or not they acquire or transfer our stock in open market transactions. However, in practice there have been a few reported cases of individuals being taxed on the indirect transfer of Chinese interests and the law could be changed so as to apply to individual stockholders, possibly with retroactive effect.

It is unclear whether Company stockholders that acquired Yum China stock through the distribution will be treated as acquiring Yum China stock in an open market purchase. If such acquisition of Yum China stock is not treated as acquired in an open market purchase, the listed transaction exception will not be available for transfers of such stock. We expect that transfers in open market transactions of our stock by corporate or other non-individual stockholders that have purchased our stock in open market transactions will not be taxable under the China indirect transfer rules due to the listed enterprise exception. Transfers, whether in the open market or otherwise, of our stock by corporate and other non-individual stockholders that acquired our stock in the distribution or in non-open market transactions may be taxable under the China indirect transfer rules and our China subsidiaries may have filing obligations in respect of such transfers upon the request of relevant China tax authorities. Transfers of our stock in non-open market transactions by corporate and other non-individual stockholders may be taxable under the China indirect transfer rules, whether or not such stock was acquired in open market transactions, and our China subsidiaries may have filing obligations in respect of such transfers upon the request of relevant China tax authorities. Corporate and other non-individual stockholders may be exempt from taxation under the China indirect transfer rules with respect to transfers of our stock if they are tax resident in a country or region that has a tax treaty or arrangement with China that provides for a capital gains tax exemption and they qualify for that exemption.

See Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for a discussion of risks relating to federal, state, local and international regulation relating to taxation of our business.

Employees

As of year-end 2016, the Company employed approximately 420,000 persons, approximately 90% of whom were restaurant team members who were employed on a full- or part-time basis with their pay calculated based on their service hours. The Company believes that it provides working conditions and compensation that compare favorably with those of our principal competitors. The majority of our employees are paid on an hourly basis. The Company considers our employee relations to be good.

Unconsolidated Affiliates

As of year-end 2016, 11% of our system wide restaurants were operated by unconsolidated affiliates that operated as franchisees. All of these restaurants were KFC restaurants, or 16% of total KFC restaurants as of year-end 2016. These unconsolidated affiliates are Chinese joint venture entities partially owned by the Company, which helped KFC establish its initial presence in certain regions of China.

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Available Information

The Company makes available through the Investor Relations section of its internet website at http://www.yumchina.com its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such material with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). These reports may also be obtained by visiting the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov or the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549 or by calling the SEC at 1 (800) SEC-0330.

Our Corporate Governance Principles and our Code of Conduct are also located within the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at http://www.yumchina.com. The reference to the Company’s website address and the SEC’s website address is for informational purposes only, does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on the websites and should not be considered part of this Form 10-K. These documents, as well as our SEC filings, are available in print free of charge to any stockholder who requests a copy from our Investor Relations Department by contacting Yum China at 7100 Corporate Drive, Plano, Texas 75024 United States of America, Attention: Investor Relations.

Executive Officers of the Registrant

The executive officers of the Company as of March 3, 2017, and their ages and current positions as of that date, are as follows:

Micky Pant has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Yum China and as a member of our board of directors since October 2016. He served as CEO of the YUM China Division (“Yum! Restaurants China”) from August 2015 to October 2016. Before becoming CEO of the Yum! Restaurants China, Mr. Pant has held a number of leadership positions at YUM, including CEO of the KFC Division, CEO of Yum! Restaurants International (“YRI”), President of Global Branding for YUM, President of YRI, Chief Marketing Officer of YUM, Global Chief Concept Officer for YUM and President of Taco Bell International. Before joining YUM, Mr. Pant built a foundation in marketing and international business with 15 years at Unilever in India and the U.K. and worked at PepsiCo, Inc. and Reebok International Limited. Since December 2014, Mr. Pant has served as an independent director on the board of Pinnacle Foods, Inc., where he also serves on the audit committee.

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2016 Form 10-K

Ted Stedem has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Yum China since October 2016. He served as Chief Financial Officer of Yum! Restaurants China from August 2016 to October 2016. Prior to that position, Mr. Stedem served in a number of leadership roles for YUM since 2009, including General Manager and Managing Director of KFC Asia, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Development Officer of KFC South Pacific (SOPAC), and Vice President of Finance of Yum! Restaurants International. Prior to joining YUM, he worked in finance, business development and marketing roles with Merrill Lynch, Bain Consulting and Office Depot.

Joey Wat has served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Yum China since February 2017.  She served as Chief Executive Officer, KFC from October 2016 to February 2017, a position she held at Yum! Restaurants China from August 2015 to October 2016. Ms. Wat joined Yum! Restaurants China in September 2014 as President of KFC China and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer for KFC China in August 2015. Before joining YUM, Ms. Wat served in both management and strategy positions at AS Watson of Hutchinson Group (“Watson”), an international health, beauty and lifestyle retailer, in the U.K. from 2004 to 2014. Her last position at Watson was Managing Director of Watson U.K., which operates Superdrug and Savers, two retail chains specializing in the sale of pharmacy and health and beauty products, from 2012 to 2014. She made the transition from Head of Strategy of Watson in Europe to Managing Director of Savers in 2007. Before joining Watson, Ms. Wat spent seven years in management consulting including with McKinsey & Company’s Hong Kong office from 2000 to 2003.

Peter Kao has served as the General Manager, Pizza Hut Casual Dining since March 2017. He served as Chief Executive Officer, Pizza Hut Casual Dining from October 2016 to March 2017, a position he held at Yum! Restaurants China from August 2015 to October 2016. Mr. Kao previously served in the position of Senior Vice President & Brand General Manager of Pizza Hut for Yum! Restaurants China starting in 2013 and began leading both Pizza Hut Casual Dining and Pizza Hut Home Service as Brand General Manager in 2008. Mr. Kao has had several leadership positions at YUM, responsible for both Pizza Hut Casual Dining and Pizza Hut Home Service, since 2008. Before that, Mr. Kao served as Market Manager for the Eastern China Pizza Hut market since 1999. Prior to joining YUM in 1999, he held senior management roles in Club Development International, Sherwood Resort Guam, and Sherwood Hotel Taiwan.

Mark Chu has served as the Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer of Yum China since October 2016. Mr. Chu is a long-term veteran of YUM and has held a number of leadership positions with Yum! Restaurants China, including President & Chief Development and Support Officer, President & Chief Operating Officer, Chief Development Officer, and Brand General Manager of KFC China. Mr. Chu joined YUM over two decades ago as Deputy General Manager of the Nanjing KFC market. Prior to joining YUM, Mr. Chu was the Area Supervisor of an international restaurant company in Taiwan.

Shella Ng has served as the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Yum China since October 2016. Ms. Ng joined YUM in 1995 and was appointed to Chief Legal Officer of Yum! Restaurants China in 2005. Prior to joining YUM, she worked for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Clifford Chance.

Danny Tan has served as the Chief Support Officer of Yum China since October 2016, a position he held at Yum! Restaurants China from January 2015 to October 2016.  His responsibilities include overseeing food innovation, quality assurance, food safety, supply chain management, logistics and sourcing planning. Mr. Tan joined YUM in 1997 in the finance department of Yum! Restaurants China and began leading the logistics department in 2002. He subsequently led supply chain management as Senior Director from March 2014 to December 2014 before taking on his current role as Chief Support Officer. Prior to joining YUM, he was a Senior Analyst with Walt Disney, Hong Kong and a Senior Auditor with Deloitte & Touche, Singapore.

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2016 Form 10-K

Christabel Lo has served as the Chief People Officer of Yum China since October 2016. Ms. Lo joined YUM in 1997 as the Training and Development Director of Yum! Restaurants China and was appointed to lead all of Human Resources in China in 2000, which she did until October 2016. Prior to joining YUM, Ms. Lo held a number of management positions in a variety of industries, including Managing Director of Dale Carnegie, Hong Kong, Head of International Personal Banking for Citibank, Hong Kong and Manager of Cheoy Lee Shipyards, Hong Kong.

Sunny Sun has served as the Chief Growth Officer of Yum China since October 2016, a position she held at Yum! Restaurants China from August 2016 to October 2016. Ms. Sun joined YUM in May 2015 as Vice President, Finance, Chief Strategist and Chief Financial Officer for Yum! Restaurants China, a position she held until July 2016. Prior to joining YUM, Ms. Sun was the Senior Managing Director of CVC Capital Partners, a private equity and investment advisory firm, from 2010 to 2014, and, before that, she was the Head of M&A Greater China for DaimlerChrysler from 2001 to 2010 and Senior Manager of Corporate Development with Danone Asia Pacific from 1998 to 2001.

Johnson Huang has served as General Manager, KFC since February 2017. He served as the Chief Information and Marketing Support Officer of the Company from October 2016 to February 2017, a position he held at Yum! Restaurants China from December 2014 to October 2016. Mr. Huang joined YUM in 2006 to lead the information technology department in China, and was named Chief Information Officer in 2013. He became our Chief Information and Marketing Support Officer in 2014 and assumed oversight of a spectrum of functions including IT, Digital, DSC, Marketing Shared Services and Engineering. He has been the key architect of Yum! Restaurants China’s digital strategy and information technology roadmap in China. Prior to joining YUM, Mr. Huang held various information technology and business leadership positions with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young Group in Taiwan and the greater China region and Evergreen Group in Taiwan and the U.K.

Ted Lee has served as the General Manager, Little Sheep since March 2017. He served as Vice President and Brand General Manager, Little Sheep from October 2016 to March 2017, a position he held at Yum! Restaurants China from November 2014 to October 2016. Prior to joining YUM, Mr. Lee served as a director and Vice President & General Manager of Crocs China (Trade) Limited, a wholesale shoe manufacturer, from 2008 to 2014.

Jeff Kuai has served as the General Manager, Pizza Hut Home Service since March 2017. He served as Brand General Manager, Pizza Hut Home Service from October 2016 to March 2017, a position he held at Yum! Restaurants China from January 2015 to October 2016. From March 2012 to December 2014, Mr. Kuai was Director of Delivery Support Center of Yum! Restaurants China, where he was instrumental in building online ordering and e-commerce capabilities. Before that position, Mr. Kuai spent nine years in the information technology department of Yum! Restaurants China enhancing information technology infrastructure and productivity.

Angela Ai has served as the Chief Development Officer of Yum China since October 2016. Before her appointment to Chief Development Officer of Yum! Restaurants China in 2015, Ms. Ai was the Vice President, Development from 2008 to 2015, and served in management positions for KFC in Nanjing, Wuxi, Nanjing and Hangzhou from 1992 to 2008. Prior to joining YUM, she was the General Manager for China Merchant Group’s department store and the Section Chief for Bureau of Youth League.

Alice Wang has served as the Senior Vice President, Public Affairs of Yum China since March 2017. She served as Vice President, Public Affairs from October 2016 to March 2017, a position she held at Yum! Restaurants China since she joined YUM in March 2015. Prior to joining YUM, Ms. Wang spent 22 years with Heinz China, a food products company, where she served as Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Greater China from August 2011 to February 2015.

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2016 Form 10-K

Paul Hill has served as Vice President and Controller of Yum China since October 2016. He served as the Interim Chief Financial Officer of Yum! Restaurants China from June 2015 to January 2016. Before serving as Interim Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Hill was the Vice President, Division Controller of Yum! Restaurants China from 2012 to 2015, and, before that, he spent seven years as the Vice President, Division Controller for YRI. From 1995 to 2005, he held a variety of director and controller positions with YRI and PepsiCo. Prior to joining YUM, Mr. Hill spent 12 years as a Senior Manager in Audit and Consulting at KPMG.

You should carefully consider each of the following risks, as well as the information included elsewhere in this report, before deciding to invest in our common stock or otherwise in connection with evaluating our business. The risk factors have been separated into four general groups: risks related to our business and industry, risks related to doing business in China, risks related to the separation and related transactions and risks related to our common stock. Based on the information currently known to us, we believe that the following information identifies the most significant risk factors affecting us in each of these categories of risk. However, additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods. If any of the following risks and uncertainties develops into actual events, these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Food safety and food-borne illness concerns may have an adverse effect on our reputation and business.

Food-borne illnesses, such as E. coli, hepatitis A, trichinosis and salmonella, occurred and may occur within our system from time to time. In addition, food safety issues such as food tampering, contamination and adulteration occur or may occur within our system from time to time. Any report or publicity linking us, our competitors, our restaurants, including restaurants operated by us or our franchisees, or any of YUM’s restaurants, to instances of food-borne illness or food safety issues could adversely affect our restaurants’ brands and reputations as well as our revenues and profits and possibly lead to product liability claims, litigation and damages. If a customer of our restaurants becomes ill from food-borne illnesses or as a result of food safety issues, restaurants in our system may be temporarily closed, which would decrease our revenues. In addition, instances or allegations of food-borne illness or food safety issues, real or perceived, involving our or YUM’s restaurants, restaurants of competitors, or suppliers or distributors (regardless of whether we use or have used those suppliers or distributors), or otherwise involving the types of food served at our restaurants, could result in negative publicity that could adversely affect our sales. The occurrence of food-borne illnesses or food safety issues could also adversely affect the price and availability of affected ingredients, which could result in disruptions in our supply chain and/or lower margins for us and our franchisees.

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2016 Form 10-K

Any failure to maintain effective quality control systems for our restaurants could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition.

The quality and safety of the food we serve is critical to our success. Maintaining consistent food quality depends significantly on the effectiveness of our and our franchisees’ quality control systems, which in turn depends on a number of factors, including the design of our quality control systems and employee implementation and compliance with those quality control policies and guidelines. Our quality control systems consist of (i) supplier quality control, (ii) logistics quality control, (iii) food processing plants’ quality control, and (iv) restaurant quality control. There can be no assurance that our and our franchisees’ quality control systems will prove to be effective. Any significant failure or deterioration of these quality control systems could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition.

Any significant liability claims, food contamination complaints from our customers or reports of incidents of food tampering could adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition.

Being in the restaurant industry, we face an inherent risk of food contamination and liability claims. Our food quality depends partly on the quality of the food ingredients and raw materials provided by our suppliers, and we may not be able to detect all defects in our supplies. Any food contamination occurring in raw materials at our suppliers’ food processing plants or during the transportation from food processing plants to our restaurants that we fail to detect or prevent could adversely affect the quality of the food served in our restaurants. Due to the scale of our and our franchisees’ operations, we also face the risk that certain of our and our franchisees’ employees may not adhere to our mandated quality procedures and requirements. Any failure to detect defective food supplies, or observe proper hygiene, cleanliness and other quality control requirements or standards in our operations could adversely affect the quality of the food we offer at our restaurants, which could lead to liability claims, complaints and related adverse publicity, reduced customer traffic at our restaurants, the imposition of penalties against us or our franchisees by relevant authorities and compensation awards by courts. Our sales have been significantly impacted by adverse publicity relating to supplier actions over the past decade. For example, our sales and perception of our brands were significantly impacted following adverse publicity relating to the failure of certain upstream poultry suppliers to meet our standards in late 2012 as well as adverse publicity relating to improper food handling practices by a separate, small upstream supplier in mid-2014. There can be no assurance that similar incidents will not occur again in the future or that we will not receive any food contamination claims or defective products from our suppliers in the future. Any such incidents could materially harm our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition.

Health concerns arising from outbreaks of viruses or other diseases may have an adverse effect on our business.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by the outbreak of a widespread health epidemic, such as avian flu, or H1N1, or “swine flu.” The occurrence of such an outbreak of an epidemic illness or other adverse public health developments in China could materially disrupt our business and operations. Such events could also significantly impact our industry and cause a temporary closure of restaurants, which would severely disrupt our operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our operations could be disrupted if any of our employees or employees of our business partners were suspected of having the swine flu or avian flu, since this could require us or our business partners to quarantine some or all of such employees or disinfect our restaurant facilities. Outbreaks of avian flu occur from time to time around the world, including in China where virtually all of our restaurants are located, and such outbreaks have resulted in confirmed human cases. It is possible that outbreaks in China and elsewhere could reach pandemic levels. Public concern over avian flu generally may cause fear about the consumption of chicken, eggs and other products derived from poultry, which could cause customers to consume less poultry and related products. This would likely result in lower revenues and profits. Avian flu outbreaks could also adversely affect the price and availability of poultry, which could negatively impact our profit margins and revenues.

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2016 Form 10-K

Furthermore, other viruses may be transmitted through human contact, and the risk of contracting viruses could cause employees or guests to avoid gathering in public places, which could adversely affect restaurant guest traffic or the ability to adequately staff restaurants. We could also be adversely affected if jurisdictions in which we have restaurants impose mandatory closures, seek voluntary closures or impose restrictions on operations of restaurants. Even if such measures are not implemented and a virus or other disease does not spread significantly, the perceived risk of infection or health risk may affect our business.

We derive substantially all of our revenue from our operations in China.

Virtually all of our restaurants are located, and our revenues and profits originate, in China. As a consequence, our financial results are dependent on our results in China, and our business is highly exposed to all of the risks of doing business there. These risks are described further under the section “Risks Related to Doing Business in China.”

The operation of our restaurants is subject to the terms of the master license agreement.

Under the master license agreement with YUM, we are required to comply with certain brand standards established by YUM in connection with the licensed business. If our failure to comply with YUM’s standards of operations results in a material adverse effect on any of the brand businesses, YUM has various rights, including the right to terminate the applicable license or eliminate the exclusivity of our license in China.

Additionally, the master license agreement requires that we pay a license fee to YUM of 3% of gross revenue from Company and franchise restaurant sales, net of certain taxes and surcharges, of all restaurants of the licensed brands in China. Prior to the separation, we did not consider such license fee in the evaluation of which Company assets should be tested for impairment. Whether Company store-level assets are impaired will be determined by the overall business performance of the store at that time which will require an assessment of many operational factors. Nonetheless, it is possible that our impairment expense could increase going forward as a result of the inclusion of this license fee. While there may be other considerations that mitigate this expense, it is possible that the imposition of the license fee could impact our unit-level results, which could result in additional Company restaurant closures and/or lower new-unit development.

The master license agreement may be terminated upon the occurrence of certain events, such as the insolvency or bankruptcy of the Company. If the master license agreement were terminated, or any of our license rights were limited, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be adversely affected.

Our success is tied to the success of YUM’s brand strength, marketing campaigns and product innovation.

The KFC, Pizza Hut Casual Dining, Pizza Hut Home Service and Taco Bell trademarks and related intellectual property are owned by YUM and licensed to us in China, excluding Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. The value of these marks depends on the enforcement of YUM’s trademark and intellectual property rights, as well as the strength of YUM’s brands. Due to the nature of licensing and our agreements with YUM, our success is, to a large extent, directly related to the success of the YUM restaurant system, including the management, marketing success and product innovation of YUM. Further, if YUM were to reallocate resources away from the KFC, Pizza Hut Casual Dining, Pizza Hut Home Service or Taco Bell brands, these brands and the license rights that have been granted to us could be harmed globally or regionally, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our competitiveness in China. In addition, strategic decisions made by YUM management related to its brands, marketing and restaurant systems may not be in our best interests and may conflict with our strategic plans.

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2016 Form 10-K

Shortages or interruptions in the availability and delivery of food and other supplies may increase costs or reduce revenues.

The products used in the operation of our restaurants are sourced from a wide variety of suppliers inside and outside of China. We are also dependent upon third parties to make frequent deliveries of food products and other supplies that meet our specifications at competitive prices. Shortages or interruptions in the supply of food products and other supplies to our restaurants could adversely affect the availability, quality and cost of items we use and the operations of our restaurants. Such shortages or disruptions could be caused by inclement weather, natural disasters such as floods, drought and hurricanes, increased demand, labor shortages, problems in production or distribution, restrictions on imports or exports, political instability in the countries in which suppliers and distributors are located, the financial instability of suppliers and distributors, suppliers’ or distributors’ failure to meet our standards, product quality issues, inflation, other factors relating to the suppliers and distributors and the countries in which they are located, food safety warnings or advisories or the prospect of such pronouncements or other conditions beyond our control. Despite our efforts in developing multiple suppliers for the same items, a shortage or interruption in the availability of certain food products or supplies could still increase costs and limit the availability of products critical to restaurant operations, which in turn could lead to restaurant closures and/or a decrease in sales. In addition, failure by a principal supplier or distributor for us and/or our franchisees to meet its service requirements could lead to a disruption of service or supply until a new supplier or distributor is engaged, and any disruption could have an adverse effect on our business.

In addition, we centrally purchase substantially all food and paper products, then sell and deliver them to most of our restaurants. We believe this central procurement model allows us to maintain quality control and achieve better prices and terms through volume purchases. However, we may not be able to accurately estimate the demand from franchisees and unconsolidated affiliates, which may result in excessive inventory. We may also not be able to timely collect payments from franchisees and unconsolidated affiliates, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may not attain our target development goals; aggressive development could cannibalize existing sales; and new restaurants may not be profitable.

Our growth strategy depends on our ability to build new restaurants in China. The successful development of new units depends in large part on our ability to open new restaurants and to operate these restaurants profitably. We cannot guarantee that we, or our franchisees, will be able to achieve our expansion goals or that new restaurants will be operated profitably. Further, there is no assurance that any new restaurant will produce operating results similar to those of our existing restaurants. Other risks which could impact our ability to increase the number of our restaurants include prevailing economic conditions and our or our franchisees’ ability to obtain suitable restaurant locations, negotiate acceptable lease or purchase terms for the locations, obtain required permits and approvals in a timely manner, hire and train qualified restaurant crews and meet construction schedules.

In addition, the new restaurants could impact the sales of our existing restaurants nearby. There can be no assurance that sales cannibalization will not occur or become more significant in the future as we increase our presence in existing markets in China.

Our growth strategy includes expanding our ownership and operation of restaurant units through organic growth by developing new restaurants that meet our investment objectives. We may not be able to achieve our growth objectives, and these new restaurants may not be profitable. The opening and success of restaurants we may open in the future depends on various factors, including:

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2016 Form 10-K

The prices of raw materials fluctuate.

Our restaurant business depends on reliable sources of large quantities of raw materials such as protein (including poultry, pork, beef and seafood), cheese, oil, flour and vegetables (including potatoes and lettuce). Our raw materials are subject to price volatility caused by any fluctuation in aggregate supply and demand, or other external conditions, such as climate and environmental conditions where weather conditions or natural events or disasters may affect expected harvests of such raw materials. As a result, the historical prices of raw materials consumed by us have fluctuated. We cannot assure you that we will continue to purchase raw materials at reasonable prices, or that our raw materials prices will remain stable in the future. In addition, because we and our franchisees provide competitively priced food, our ability to pass along commodity price increases to our customers is limited. If we are unable to manage the cost of our raw materials or to increase the prices of our products, it may have an adverse impact on our future profit margin.

We are subject to all of the risks associated with leasing real estate, and any adverse developments could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

As a significant number of our restaurants are operating on leased properties, we are exposed to the market conditions of the retail rental market. As of year-end 2016, we leased the land and/or building for approximately 6,008 restaurants in China. For information regarding our leased properties, please refer to Item 2. “Properties.” Accordingly, we are subject to all of the risks generally associated with leasing real estate, including changes in the investment climate for real estate, demographic trends, trade zone shifts, central business district relocations, and supply or demand for the use of the restaurants, as well as potential liability for environmental contamination.

We generally enter into lease agreements with initial terms of 10 to 20 years. Less than 5% of our existing leases expire before the end of 2017. Most of our lease agreements contain an early termination clause that permits us to terminate the lease agreement early if the restaurant’s unit contribution is negative for a specified period of time. We generally do not have renewal options for our leases and need to negotiate the terms of renewal with the lessor, who may insist on a significant modification to the terms and conditions of the lease agreement.

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2016 Form 10-K

The rent under the majority of our current restaurant lease agreements is generally payable in one of three ways: (i) fixed rent; (ii) the higher of a fixed base rent or a percentage of the restaurant’s annual sales revenue, subject to adjustment; or (iii) a percentage of the restaurant’s annual sales revenue, subject to adjustment. Adjustments to rent calculated as a percentage of the restaurant’s annual sales revenue generally correspond to the level of annual sales revenue as specified in the agreement. In addition to increases in rent resulting from fluctuations in annual sales revenue, certain of our lease agreements include provisions specifying fixed increases in rental payments over the respective terms of the lease agreements. While these provisions have been negotiated and are specified in the lease agreement, they will increase our costs of operation and therefore may materially and adversely affect our results of operation and financial condition if we are not able to pass on the increased costs to our customers. Certain of our lease agreements also provide for the payment of a management fee at either a fixed rate or fixed amount per square meter of the relevant leased property.

Where we do not have an option to renew a lease agreement, we must negotiate the terms of renewal with the lessor, who may insist on a significant modification to the terms and conditions of the lease agreement. If a lease agreement is renewed at a rate substantially higher than the existing rate, or if any existing favorable terms granted by the lessor are not extended, we must determine whether it is desirable to renew on such modified terms. If we are unable to renew leases for our restaurant sites on acceptable terms or at all, we will have to close or relocate the relevant restaurants, which would eliminate the sales that those restaurants would have contributed to our revenues during the period of closure, and could subject us to construction, renovation and other costs and risks. In addition, the revenue and any profit generated after relocation may be less than the revenue and profit previously generated before such relocation. As a result, any inability to obtain leases for desirable restaurant locations or renew existing leases on commercially reasonable terms could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may not be able to obtain desirable restaurant locations on commercially reasonable terms.

We compete with other retailers and restaurants for suitable locations, and the market for retail premises is very competitive in China. Our competitors may negotiate more favorable lease terms than our lease terms, and some landlords and developers may offer priority or grant exclusivity to some of our competitors for desirable locations for various reasons beyond our control. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to enter into new lease agreements for prime locations on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. If we cannot obtain desirable restaurant locations on commercially reasonable terms, our business, results of operations and ability to implement our growth strategy may be materially and adversely affected.

Labor shortages or increases in labor costs could slow our growth and harm our business and results of operations.

Restaurant operations are highly service-oriented, and our success depends in part upon our ability to attract, retain and motivate a sufficient number of qualified employees, including restaurant managers, and other crew members. The market for qualified employees in our industry is very competitive. Any future inability to recruit and retain qualified individuals may delay the planned openings of new restaurants and could adversely impact our existing restaurants. Any such delays, material increases in employee turnover rate in existing restaurants or widespread employee dissatisfaction could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, competition for qualified employees could also compel us to pay higher wages to attract or retain key crew members, which could result in higher labor costs.

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2016 Form 10-K

The Chinese Labor Contract Law that became effective on January 1, 2008 formalizes workers’ rights concerning overtime hours, pensions, layoffs, employment contracts and the role of trade unions, and provides for specific standards and procedures for employees’ protection. Moreover, minimum wage requirements in China have increased and could continue to increase our labor costs in the future. The salary level of employees in the restaurant industry in China has been increasing in the past several years. We may not be able to increase our product prices enough to pass these increased labor costs on to our customers, in which case our business and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

Our success depends substantially on our corporate reputation and on the value and perception of our brands.

One of our primary assets is the exclusive right to use the KFC, Pizza Hut Casual Dining, Pizza Hut Home Service and Taco Bell trademarks in restaurants in China. Our success depends in large part upon our ability and our franchisees’ ability to maintain and enhance the value of these brands and our customers’ loyalty to these brands in China. Brand value is based in part on consumer perceptions on a variety of subjective qualities. Business incidents, whether isolated or recurring, and whether originating from us, our franchisees, competitors, suppliers and distributors or YUM and its other licensees or franchisees, competitors, suppliers and distributors outside China can significantly reduce brand value and consumer trust, particularly if the incidents receive considerable publicity or result in litigation. For example, our brands could be damaged by claims or perceptions about the quality or safety of our products or the quality of our suppliers and distributors, regardless of whether such claims or perceptions are true. Any such incidents (even if resulting from the actions of a competitor) could cause a decline directly or indirectly in consumer confidence in, or the perception of, our brands and/or our products and reduce consumer demand for our products, which would likely result in lower revenues and profits. Additionally, our corporate reputation could suffer from a real or perceived failure of corporate governance or misconduct by a company officer, employee or representative.

Failure to protect the integrity and security of personal information of our customers and employees could result in substantial costs, expose us to litigation and damage our reputation.

We have been using, and plan to continue to use, digital technologies to improve the customer experience and drive sales growth. We, directly or indirectly, receive and maintain certain personal financial and other information about our customers when, for example, receiving online ordering, accepting cashless payments, conducting sales through online platforms and introducing brand loyalty programs.

If our security and information systems or the security and information systems of third-party service providers are compromised for any reason, including as a result of data corruption or loss, cyber-attack or a network security incident, or if our employees, franchisees or service providers fail to comply with laws, regulations and practice standards, and this information is obtained by unauthorized persons or used inappropriately, it could subject us to litigation and government enforcement actions, cause us to incur substantial costs, liabilities and penalties and/or result in a loss of customer confidence, any and all of which could adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, the use and handling of this information is regulated by evolving and increasingly demanding laws and regulations. The Chinese government recently promulgated a new cybersecurity law, to become effective on June 1, 2017, imposing tightened requirements on data privacy and cybersecurity practices. As such, we may be required to upgrade our current information technology infrastructure and systems and incur additional costs.

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2016 Form 10-K

Our delivery business depends on the performance of, and our long-term relationships with, third-party aggregators and mobile payment processors.

Our delivery business represented approximately 10% of Company sales in 2016. KFC, Pizza Hut Casual Dining and Pizza Hut Home Service have partnered with third-party delivery aggregators, allowing our products to be listed on and ordered through their mobile or online platforms. For Pizza Hut Casual Dining, we also rely on the aggregators to deliver our products to customers. For KFC and Pizza Hut Home Service, we use outsourced riders to fulfill some of the delivery requirements. If we fail to extend or renew the agreements with these aggregators on acceptable terms, or at all, our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected. In addition, these aggregators and outsourced riders may fail to follow the quality standards they agreed upon with us, in which case our business and reputation may suffer.

In 2016, mobile payments represented approximately 17% of company sales. In particular, the ability to accept mobile payments is critical to our delivery business. If mobile payment processors, such as Alipay and WeChat Pay, are unwilling or unable to provide us with payment processing service or impose onerous requirements on us in order to access their services, or if they increase the fees they charge us for these services, our business and results of operations could be harmed.

Our inability or failure to recognize, respond to and effectively manage the accelerated impact of social media could materially adversely impact our business and results of operations.

In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the use of social media platforms, including weblogs (blogs), mini-blogs, WeChat and other chat platforms, social media websites, and other forms of Internet-based communications, which allow individuals access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons. Many social media platforms immediately publish the content their subscribers and participants post, often without filters or checks on accuracy of the content posted. Information posted on such platforms at any time may be adverse to our interests and/or may be inaccurate. The online dissemination of negative comments about our brands and business, including inaccurate or irresponsible information, could harm our business, reputation, prospects, results of operations and financial condition. The damage may be immediate and intense, without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction, and we may not be able to recover from any negative publicity in a timely manner or at all.  

Other risks associated with the use of social media include improper disclosure of proprietary information, exposure of personally identifiable information, fraud, hoaxes or malicious exposure of false information. The inappropriate use of social media by our customers or employees could increase our costs, lead to litigation or result in negative publicity that could damage our reputation and adversely affect our results of operations.

We could be party to litigation that could adversely affect us by increasing our expenses, diverting management attention or subjecting us to significant monetary damages and other remedies.

We are involved in legal proceedings from time to time. These proceedings do or could include consumer, employment, real-estate related, tort, intellectual property, breach of contract and other litigation. As a public company, we may in the future also be involved in legal proceedings alleging violation of securities laws or derivative litigation. Plaintiffs in these types of lawsuits often seek recovery of very large or indeterminate amounts, and the magnitude of the potential loss relating to such lawsuits may not be accurately estimated. Regardless of whether any claims against us are valid, or whether we are ultimately held liable, such litigation may be expensive to defend and may divert resources and management attention away from our operations and negatively impact reported earnings. With respect to insured claims, a judgment for monetary damages in excess of any insurance coverage could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations. Any adverse publicity resulting from these allegations may also adversely affect our reputation, which in turn could adversely affect our results of operations.

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2016 Form 10-K

In addition, the restaurant industry around the world has been subject to claims that relate to the nutritional content of food products, as well as claims that the menus and practices of restaurant chains have led to customer health issues, including weight gain and other adverse effects. We may also be subject to these types of claims in the future and, even if we are not, publicity about these matters (particularly directed at the quick service and fast-casual segments of the retail food industry) may harm our reputation and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Failure to comply with anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar Chinese laws and other similar applicable laws prohibiting bribery of government officials and other corrupt practices are the subject of increasing emphasis and enforcement around the world. Although we continue to implement policies and procedures designed to duly comply with these laws, there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, agents or other third parties will not take actions in violation of our policies or applicable law, particularly as we expand our operations through organic growth and acquisitions. Any such violations or suspected violations could subject us to civil or criminal penalties, including substantial fines and significant investigation costs, and could also materially damage the KFC, Pizza Hut Casual Dining, Pizza Hut Home Service and Taco Bell brands, as well as our reputation and prospects, business and results of operations. Publicity relating to any noncompliance or alleged noncompliance could also harm our reputation and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

As a U.S. company, we are subject to U.S. federal income tax on our worldwide income, which could result in material taxes in addition to the taxes on our China business.

Yum China is a Delaware corporation that indirectly owns the subsidiaries that conduct our business in China. As a Delaware corporation, we are subject to U.S. federal income tax on our worldwide income, including certain income that is distributed or deemed distributed to us by our subsidiaries operating in China. As a result, although substantially all of our profit is earned outside the U.S. and taxed at local tax rates that have historically been lower than the U.S. statutory tax rate, our after-tax income is determined based on U.S. tax rates, except with respect to any portion of our income that is permanently reinvested outside the U.S., thus reducing our after-tax profit.

In addition, as a holding company, our ability to make distributions (if any) to our stockholders generally is based on our ability to receive distributions from our subsidiaries. As a U.S. company, our receipt of any such distributions from our subsidiaries may result in the current recognition of U.S. taxable income and could cause our effective tax rate to increase to the extent such U.S. income taxes had not already been taken into account in such determination. This incremental U.S. tax cost could affect the amount of any distributions we are able to make to our stockholders.

Tax matters, including changes in tax rates, disagreements with taxing authorities and imposition of new taxes could impact our results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to income taxes as well as non-income based taxes, such as value-added tax, customs duty, property tax, stamp duty, withholding taxes and obligations and local surcharges, in China and income tax and other taxes in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. We are also subject to reviews, examinations and audits by Chinese tax authorities, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), and other taxing authorities with respect to income and non-income based taxes. If Chinese tax authorities, the IRS, or another taxing authority disagrees with our tax positions, we could face additional tax liabilities, including interest and penalties. Payment of such additional amounts upon final settlement or adjudication of any disputes could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

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2016 Form 10-K

In addition, we are directly and indirectly affected by new tax legislation and regulation and the interpretation of tax laws and regulations worldwide. Recently, the new U.S. presidential administration has made public statements indicating that it has made international tax reform a priority, and key members of the U.S. Congress have conducted hearings and proposed new legislation. Certain changes to U.S. tax laws currently proposed by lawmakers would impact the ability of U.S. taxpayers to defer U.S. taxation of foreign earnings and to claim and utilize foreign tax credits. These proposals would also eliminate certain tax deductions until earnings are repatriated to the United States. We cannot predict the impact, if any, of these changes to our business.

Moreover, the tax regime in China is rapidly evolving and there can be significant uncertainty for taxpayers in China as Chinese tax laws may change significantly or be subject to uncertain interpretations. Since 2012, the Chinese government launched a VAT pilot reform to replace BT (“VAT pilot program”) to make reform to its retail tax structure by ending the co-existence of BT and VAT where BT would be gradually phased out and replaced by VAT. The retail tax structure reform is intended to be a progressive and positive shift to more closely align with a more modern service-based economy. Effective May 1, 2016, the retail tax structure reform has been rolled out to cover all business sectors nationwide where the BT has been completely replaced by VAT. The VAT reform is still at an early stage of implementation, and the interpretation and application of the new VAT regime may not be immediately clear or settled at some local governmental levels. In addition, the timetable for enacting the prevailing VAT regulations into national VAT law, including ultimate enacted VAT rates, is not clear. Changes in legislation, regulation or interpretation of existing laws and regulations in the U.S., China, and other jurisdictions where we are subject to taxation could increase our taxes and have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Our results of operations may be adversely impacted by changes in consumer discretionary spending and general economic conditions.

Purchases at our restaurants are discretionary for consumers and, therefore, our results of operations are susceptible to economic slowdowns and recessions. Our results of operations are dependent upon discretionary spending by consumers, which may be affected by general economic conditions in China. Some of the factors that impact discretionary consumer spending include unemployment rates, fluctuations in the level of disposable income, the price of gasoline, stock market performance and changes in the level of consumer confidence. These and other macroeconomic factors could have an adverse effect on our sales, profitability or development plans, which could harm our results of operations and financial condition.

The retail food industry in which we operate is highly competitive.

The retail food industry in which we operate is highly competitive with respect to price and quality of food products, new product development, advertising levels and promotional initiatives, customer service, reputation, restaurant location, and attractiveness and maintenance of properties. If consumer or dietary preferences change, or our restaurants are unable to compete successfully with other retail food outlets in new and existing markets, our business could be adversely affected. We also face growing competition as a result of convergence in grocery, convenience, deli and restaurant services, including the offering by the grocery industry of convenient meals, including pizzas and entrees with side dishes. Competition from delivery aggregators and other food delivery services in China has also increased in recent years, particularly in urbanized areas. Increased competition could have an adverse effect on our sales, profitability or development plans, which could harm our results of operations and financial condition.

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2016 Form 10-K

Any inability to successfully compete with the other restaurants and catering services in our markets may prevent us from increasing or sustaining our revenues and profitability and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows. We may also need to modify or refine elements of our restaurant system in order to compete with popular new restaurant styles or concepts, including delivery aggregators, that develop from time to time. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in implementing any such modifications or that such modifications will not reduce our profitability.

We require various approvals, licenses and permits to operate our business and the loss of or failure to obtain or renew any or all of these approvals, licenses and permits could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

In accordance with the laws and regulations of China, we are required to maintain various approvals, licenses and permits in order to operate our restaurant business. Each of our restaurants in China is required to obtain the relevant food hygiene license or food service license, public assembly venue hygiene license, environmental protection assessment and inspection approval and fire safety design approval and fire prevention inspection report, and some of our restaurants which sell alcoholic beverages are required to make further registrations or obtain additional approvals. These licenses and registrations are achieved upon satisfactory compliance with, among other things, the applicable food safety, hygiene, environmental protection, fire safety and alcohol laws and regulations. Most of these licenses are subject to periodic examinations or verifications by relevant authorities and are valid only for a fixed period of time and subject to renewal and accreditation. There is no assurance that we or our franchisees will be able to obtain or maintain any of these licenses.

We may not be able to adequately protect the intellectual property we own or have the right to use, which could harm the value of our brands and adversely affect our business and operations.

We believe that our brands are essential to our success and our competitive position. Although the trademarks we use in China are duly registered, these steps may not be adequate to protect these intellectual property rights. In addition, third parties may infringe upon the intellectual property rights we own or have the right to use or misappropriate the proprietary knowledge we use in our business, primarily our proprietary recipes, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition. The laws of China may not offer the same protection for intellectual property rights as the U.S. and other jurisdictions with more robust intellectual property laws.

We are required under the master license agreement with YUM to police, protect and enforce the trademarks and other intellectual property rights used by us, and to protect trade secrets. Such actions to police, protect or enforce could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources, which could negatively affect our sales, profitability and prospects. Furthermore, the application of laws governing intellectual property rights in China is uncertain and evolving, and could involve substantial risks to us. Even if actions to police, protect or enforce are resolved in our favor, we may not be able to successfully enforce the judgment and remedies awarded by the court and such remedies may not be adequate to compensate us for our actual or anticipated losses.

In addition, we may face claims of infringement that could interfere with the use of the proprietary know-how, concepts, recipes or trade secrets we use in our business. Defending against such claims may be costly and, if we are unsuccessful, we may be prohibited from continuing to use such proprietary information in the future or be forced to pay damages, royalties or other fees for using such proprietary information, any of which could negatively affect our sales, profitability and prospects.

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2016 Form 10-K

Our licensor may not be able to adequately protect its intellectual property, which could harm the value of the KFC, Pizza Hut Casual Dining, Pizza Hut Home Service and Taco Bell brands and branded products and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The success of our business depends in large part on our continued ability to use the trademarks, service marks, recipes and other components of the KFC, Pizza Hut Casual Dining, Pizza Hut Home Service and Taco Bell branded systems that we license from YUM pursuant to the master license agreement we entered into in connection with the separation.

We are not aware of any assertions that the trademarks, menu offerings or other intellectual property rights we license from YUM infringe upon the proprietary rights of third parties, but third parties may claim infringement by us or YUM in the future. Any such claim, whether or not it has merit, could be time-consuming, result in costly litigation, cause delays in introducing new menu items in the future or require us to enter into additional royalty or licensing agreements with third parties. As a result, any such claims could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our results of operations may fluctuate due to seasonality and certain major events in China.

Our sales are subject to seasonality. For example, we typically experience higher sales during traditional Chinese festivals and holiday seasons and lower sales and lower operating profit during the second and fourth quarters. As a result of these fluctuations, softer sales during a period in which we have historically experienced higher sales could have a disproportionately negative effect on our full-year results, and comparisons of sales and results of operations within a financial year may not be able to be relied on as indicators of our future performance. Any seasonal fluctuations reported in the future may differ from the expectations of our investors.

Our information systems may fail or be damaged, which could harm our operations and our business.

Our operations are dependent upon the successful and uninterrupted functioning of our computer and information systems. Our systems could be exposed to damage or interruption from fire, natural disaster, power loss, telecommunications failure, unauthorized entry and computer viruses. System defects, failures, interruptions, unauthorized entries or viruses could result in:

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2016 Form 10-K

To the extent we rely on the systems of third parties in areas such as credit card processing, telecommunications and wireless networks, any defects, failures and interruptions in such systems could result in similar adverse effects on our business. Sustained or repeated system defects, failures or interruptions could materially impact our operations and results of operations. Also, if we are unsuccessful in updating, upgrading and expanding our systems, our ability to increase comparable store sales, improve operations, implement cost controls and grow our business may be constrained.

Despite the implementation of security measures, our infrastructure may be vulnerable to physical break-ins, computer viruses, programming errors, attacks by third parties or similar disruptive problems.

We may be unable to detect, deter and prevent all instances of fraud or other misconduct committed by our employees, customers or other third parties.

As we operate in the restaurant industry, we usually receive and handle relatively large amounts of cash in our daily operations. Instances of fraud, theft or other misconduct with respect to cash can be difficult to detect, deter and prevent, and could subject us to financial losses and harm our reputation.

We may be unable to prevent, detect or deter all such instances of misconduct. Any such misconduct committed against our interests, which may include past acts that have gone undetected or future acts, may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Changes in accounting standards and subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by management related to complex accounting matters could significantly affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Generally accepted accounting principles and related accounting pronouncements, implementation guidelines and interpretations with regard to a wide range of matters that are relevant to our business, including revenue recognition, long-lived asset impairment, impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets, and share-based compensation, are highly complex and involve many subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments. Changes in these rules or their interpretation or changes in underlying assumptions, estimates or judgments could significantly change our reported or expected financial performance or financial condition. New accounting guidance may require systems and other changes that could increase our operating costs and/or change our financial statements. For example, implementing future accounting guidance related to leases and other areas impacted by the convergence project between the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board could require us to make significant changes to our lease management system or other accounting systems, and will result in changes to our financial statements.

Our insurance policies may not provide adequate coverage for all claims associated with our business operations.

We have obtained insurance policies that we believe are customary and appropriate for businesses of our size and type and at least in line with the standard commercial practice in China. However, there are types of losses we may incur that cannot be insured against or that we believe are not cost effective to insure, such as loss of reputation. If we were held liable for uninsured losses or amounts or claims for insured losses exceeding the limits of our insurance coverage, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

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2016 Form 10-K

Failure by us to maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the rules of the SEC could harm our business and results of operations and/or result in a loss of investor confidence in our financial reports, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are required to maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and effective internal control over financial reporting in connection with our filing of periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act. Failure to maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting or to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or any report by us of a material weakness in such controls, may cause investors to lose confidence in our financial statements. If we fail to remedy any material weakness, our financial statements may be inaccurate and we may face restricted access to the capital markets, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Unforeseeable business interruptions could adversely affect our business.

Our operations are vulnerable to interruption by fires, floods, earthquakes, power failures and power shortages, hardware and software failures, computer viruses and other events beyond our control. In particular, our business is dependent on prompt delivery and reliable transportation of our food products by our logistics partners. Unforeseeable events, such as adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, severe traffic accidents and delays, non-cooperation of our logistics partners, and labor strikes, could lead to delay or lost deliveries to our restaurants, which may result in the loss of revenue or in customer claims. There may also be instances where the conditions of fresh, chilled or frozen food products, being perishable goods, deteriorate due to delivery delays, malfunctioning of refrigeration facilities or poor handling during transportation by our logistics partners. This may result in a failure by us to provide quality food and services to customers, thereby affecting our business and potentially damaging our reputation. Any such events experienced by us could disrupt our operations.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Changes in Chinese political policies and economic and social policies or conditions may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition and may result in our inability to sustain our growth and expansion strategies.

Substantially all of our assets and business operations are located in China. Accordingly, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in China generally, by continued economic growth in China as a whole, and by geopolitical stability in the region. For example, our results of operations in the third quarter of 2016 were adversely impacted by an international court ruling in July 2016 regarding claims to sovereignty over the South China Sea, which triggered a series of regional protests and boycotts in China, intensified by social media, against a few international companies with well-known Western brands.

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2016 Form 10-K

The Chinese economy, markets and levels of consumer spending are influenced by many factors beyond our control, including current and future economic conditions, political uncertainty, unemployment rates, inflation, fluctuations in the level of disposable income, taxation, foreign exchange control, and changes in interest and currency exchange rates. The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the level of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, foreign exchange control and fiscal measures and allocation of resources. Although the Chinese government has implemented measures since the late 1970s emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the restructuring of state assets and state owned enterprises, and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a significant portion of productive assets in China is still owned or controlled by the Chinese government. The Chinese government also exercises significant control or influence over Chinese economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary and fiscal policies, regulating financial services and institutions and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth in recent decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures benefit the overall Chinese economy but may also have a negative effect on us. Our results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are applicable to us. In addition, the Chinese government has implemented certain measures, including interest rate increases, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity in China. Since 2012, Chinese economic growth has slowed and any prolonged slowdown in the Chinese economy may reduce the demand for our products and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Restaurant dining, and specifically casual dining, is discretionary for customers and tends to be higher during periods in which favorable economic conditions prevail. Customers’ tendency to become more cost-conscious as a result of an economic slowdown or decreases in disposable income may reduce our customer traffic or average revenue per customer, which may adversely affect our revenues.

Uncertainties with respect to the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws, rules and regulations could have a material adverse effect on us.

Substantially all of our operations are conducted in China, and are governed by Chinese laws, rules and regulations. Our subsidiaries are subject to laws, rules and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China. The Chinese legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike common law systems, it is a system in which legal cases may be cited for reference but have limited value as precedents. In the late 1970s, the Chinese government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past four decades has significantly increased the protections afforded to various forms of foreign or private-sector investment in China. However, since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the Chinese legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involve uncertainties.

From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to interpret and/or enforce our legal rights. However, since Chinese administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings, and the level of legal protection we enjoy, than in more developed legal systems. Any administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. Furthermore, the Chinese legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all) that may have retroactive effect.

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2016 Form 10-K

As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, and any failure to respond to changes in the regulatory environment in China could materially adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

Fluctuation in the value of the RMB may have a material adverse effect on your investment.

The conversion of Chinese Renminbi (“RMB”) into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”). The Chinese government allowed the RMB to appreciate by more than 20% against the U.S. dollar between July 2005 and July 2008. Between July 2008 and June 2010, the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow range. After June 2010, the Chinese government allowed the RMB to appreciate slowly against the U.S. dollar again. On August 11, 2015, however, the PBOC allowed the RMB to depreciate by approximately 2% against the U.S. dollar. In 2016, the RMB further fell more than 6% against U.S. dollar, representing the biggest yearly depreciation of the RMB since 1994. Changes in the value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar may occur relatively suddenly, as was the case, for example, in August 2015. It is difficult to predict how market forces or Chinese or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar in the future.

Substantially all of our revenues and costs are denominated in RMB. As a Delaware holding company, we may rely on dividends and other fees paid to us by our subsidiaries in China. Any significant revaluation of the RMB may materially affect our cash flows, net revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our common stock in U.S. dollars. For example, an appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would make any new RMB-denominated investments or expenditures more costly to us, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into RMB for such purposes. Conversely, a significant depreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar may significantly reduce the U.S. dollar equivalent of our earnings, which in turn could adversely affect the price of our common stock. If we decide to convert RMB into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our common stock, strategic acquisitions or investments or other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the RMB would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.

Very few hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. In addition, our currency exchange loss may be magnified by Chinese exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert RMB into foreign currency. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates and restrictions on exchange may have a material adverse effect on your investment.

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2016 Form 10-K

Governmental control of currency conversion and payments of foreign currency and RMB out of mainland China may limit our ability to utilize our cash balances effectively and affect the value of your investment.

The Chinese government imposes controls on the convertibility of the RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of both foreign currency and RMB out of mainland China. Under our current corporate structure as a Delaware holding company, our income is primarily derived from the earnings from our Chinese subsidiaries. Substantially all revenues of our Chinese subsidiaries are denominated in RMB. Shortages in the availability of foreign currency and control on payments out of mainland China may restrict the ability of our Chinese subsidiaries to remit sufficient foreign currency and/or RMB to pay dividends or to make other payments to us, or otherwise to satisfy their obligations. Under existing Chinese foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, license fee payments and expenditures from trade-related transactions, can be made in foreign currencies or RMB without prior approval from China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”) and PBOC by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, for any Chinese company, dividends can be declared and paid only out of the retained earnings of that company under Chinese law. Furthermore, approval from SAFE or its local branch may be required where RMB are to be converted into foreign currencies, and approval from SAFE and PBOC or their branches may be required where foreign currency and/or RMB are to be remitted out of mainland China. Specifically, under the existing restrictions, without a prior approval of SAFE and PBOC, cash generated from the operations of our subsidiaries in China may not be used to pay dividends to Yum China, pay the license fee to YUM, pay employees who are located outside mainland China, pay off debt owed by our subsidiaries to entities outside mainland China, or make capital expenditures outside mainland China.

The Chinese government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies or further restrict payments of foreign currency and RMB out of mainland China. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our currency demands or restricts us from paying the license fee to YUM, we may not be able to pay dividends to our stockholders, fulfill our license fee payment obligation, pay out service fees to vendors and repay our indebtedness when due. There can be no assurance that the rules and regulations pursuant to which SAFE and PBOC grant or deny approvals will not change in a way that adversely affects the ability of our Chinese subsidiaries to repatriate funds out of mainland China or pay license fees. Any such limitation could materially and adversely affect our ability to pay dividends or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

Changes in the laws and regulations of China or non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations may have a significant impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our business and operations are subject to the laws and regulations of China. The continuance of our operations depends upon compliance with, inter alia, applicable Chinese environmental, health, safety, labor, social security, pension and other laws and regulations. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations could result in fines, penalties or lawsuits. In addition, there is no assurance that we will be able to comply fully with applicable laws and regulations should there be any amendment to the existing regulatory regime or implementation of any new laws and regulations.

Furthermore, our business and operations in China entail the procurement of licenses and permits from the relevant authorities. Difficulties or failure in obtaining the required permits, licenses and certificates could result in our inability to continue our business in China in a manner consistent with past practice. In such an event, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

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2016 Form 10-K

We rely to a significant extent on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our principal operating subsidiaries in China to fund offshore cash requirements.

We are a holding company and conduct all of our business through our operating subsidiaries. We rely to a significant extent on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our principal operating subsidiaries for our cash requirements. As noted above, distributions to us from our subsidiaries may result in incremental tax costs.

The laws, rules and regulations applicable to our Chinese subsidiaries permit payments of dividends only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with applicable Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, under Chinese law, an enterprise incorporated in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, after making up previous years’ accumulated losses, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds, until the aggregate amount of such a fund reaches 50% of its registered capital. As a result, our Chinese subsidiaries are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets to us in the form of dividends. At the discretion of the board of directors, as an enterprise incorporated in China, each of our Chinese subsidiaries may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on Chinese accounting standards to staff welfare and bonus funds. These reserve funds and staff welfare and bonus funds are not distributable as cash dividends. Any limitation on the ability of our Chinese subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could limit our ability to make investments or acquisitions outside of China that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

In addition, the EIT Law and its implementation rules provide that a withholding tax at a rate of 10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to companies that are not China resident enterprises unless otherwise reduced according to treaties or arrangements between the Chinese central government and the governments of other countries or regions where the non-China resident enterprises are incorporated. Although a foreign tax credit is generally available against our U.S. federal income taxes for such withholding taxes, the ability to utilize foreign tax credits is subject to complex limitations and as such we may be limited in our ability to offset any such Chinese withholding tax against our U.S. federal income tax liabilities.

Restrictive covenants in bank credit facilities, joint venture agreements or other arrangements that we or our subsidiaries may enter into in the future may also restrict the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions or remittances to us. These restrictions could reduce the amount of dividends or other distributions we receive from our subsidiaries, which in turn could restrict our ability to return capital to our stockholders in the future.

Under the EIT Law, if we are classified as a China resident enterprise for Chinese enterprise income tax purposes, such classification would likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-Chinese stockholders.

Under the EIT Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside China with a “de facto management body” within China is considered a China resident enterprise for Chinese enterprise income tax purposes. A China resident enterprise is generally subject to certain Chinese tax reporting obligations and a uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate on its worldwide income. Furthermore, under the EIT Law, if we are a China resident enterprise (i) dividends paid by us to our non-Chinese stockholders would be subject to a 10% dividend withholding tax or a 20% individual income tax if the stockholder is an individual and (ii) such non-Chinese stockholders may become subject to Chinese tax and filing obligations as well as withholding with respect to any disposition of our stock, subject to certain treaty or other exemptions or reductions.

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We and each of our subsidiaries that is organized outside of China intend to conduct our and their management functions in a manner that does not cause us or them to be China resident enterprises, including by carrying on day-to-day management activities and maintaining key records, such as resolutions of the board of directors and resolutions of stockholders, outside of China. As such, we do not believe that we or any of our non-Chinese subsidiaries should be considered a China resident enterprise for purposes of the EIT Law. However, given the uncertainty regarding the application of the EIT Law to us and our future operations, there can be no assurance that we or any of our non-Chinese subsidiaries will not be treated as a China resident enterprise now or in the future for Chinese tax law purposes.

We and our stockholders face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in China resident enterprises through transfer of non-Chinese-holding companies. Enhanced scrutiny by the Chinese tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions and dispositions we may pursue in the future.

In February 2015, the SAT issued Bulletin 7, pursuant to which an “indirect transfer” of Chinese interests by a non-resident enterprise may be recharacterized and treated as a direct transfer of Chinese taxable assets, if such arrangement does not have reasonable commercial purpose and the transferor avoids payment of Chinese enterprise income tax. Where a non-resident enterprise conducts an “indirect transfer” of Chinese interests by disposing of equity interests in an offshore holding company that directly or indirectly owns Chinese interests, the transferor, transferee and/or the China resident enterprise may report such indirect transfer to the relevant Chinese tax authority, which may in turn report upward to the SAT. Using general anti-tax avoidance provisions, the SAT may treat such indirect transfer as a direct transfer of Chinese interests if the transfer avoids Chinese tax by way of an arrangement without reasonable commercial purpose. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to Chinese enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer would be obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of up to 10% of the capital gain in the case of an indirect transfer of equity interests in a China resident enterprise. Both the transferor and the party obligated to withhold the applicable taxes may be subject to penalties under Chinese tax laws if the transferor fails to pay the taxes and the party obligated to withhold the applicable taxes fails to withhold the taxes. However, the above regulations do not apply if either (i) the selling non-resident enterprise recognizes the relevant gain by purchasing and selling equity of the same listed enterprise in the open market (the “listed enterprise exception”); or (ii) the selling non-resident enterprise would have been exempted from enterprise income tax in China pursuant to applicable tax treaties or tax arrangements, if it had directly held and transferred such Chinese interests that were indirectly transferred. Under current law, the China indirect transfer rules do not apply to gains recognized by individual stockholders, regardless of whether or not they acquire or transfer our stock in open market transactions. However, in practice there have been a few reported cases of individuals being taxed on the indirect transfer of Chinese interests and the law could be changed so as to apply to individual stockholders, possibly with retroactive effect.

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2016 Form 10-K

It is unclear whether stockholders that acquired our stock through the distribution will be treated as acquiring such stock in an open market purchase. If such stock is not treated as acquired in an open market purchase, the listed transaction exception will not be available for transfers of such stock. We expect that transfers in open market transactions of our stock by corporate or other non-individual stockholders that have purchased our stock in open market transactions will not be taxable under the China indirect transfer rules due to the listed enterprise exception. Transfers, whether in the open market or otherwise, of our stock by corporate and other non-individual stockholders that acquired our stock in the distribution or in non-open market transactions may be taxable under the China indirect transfer rules and our China subsidiaries may have filing obligations in respect of such transfers, upon the request of relevant China tax authorities. Transfers of our stock in non-open market transactions by corporate and other non-individual stockholders may be taxable under the China indirect transfer rules, whether or not such stock was acquired in open market transactions, and our China subsidiaries may have filing obligations in respect of such transfers upon the request of relevant China tax authorities. Corporate and other non-individual stockholders may be exempt from taxation under the China indirect transfer rules with respect to transfers of our stock if they are tax resident in a country or region that has a tax treaty or arrangement with China that provides for a capital gains tax exemption and they qualify for that exemption.

In addition, we may be subject to these indirect transfer rules in the event of any future sale of a China resident enterprise through the sale of a non-Chinese holding company, or the purchase of a China resident enterprise through the purchase of a non-Chinese holding company. Our company and other non-resident enterprises in our group may be subject to filing obligations or taxation if our company and other non-resident enterprises in our group are transferors in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company and other non-resident enterprises in our group are transferees in such transactions.

You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing original actions in China based on United States or other foreign laws against us and our management.

We conduct substantially all of our operations in China and substantially all of our assets are located in China. In addition, some of our directors and executive officers reside within China. As a result, it may not be possible to effect service of process within the United States or elsewhere outside of China upon these persons, including with respect to matters arising under applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws. It may also be difficult for investors to bring an original lawsuit against us or our directors or executive officers based on U.S. federal securities laws in a Chinese court. Moreover, China does not have treaties with the United States providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts. Therefore, even if a judgment were obtained against us or our management for matters arising under U.S. federal or state securities laws or other applicable U.S. federal or state law, it may be difficult to enforce such a judgment.

Certain defects caused by non-registration of our lease agreements related to certain properties occupied by us in China may materially and adversely affect our ability to use such properties.

As of December 31, 2016, we leased approximately 6,008 properties in China, and to our knowledge, the lessors of most properties leased by us, most of which are used as premises for our restaurants, had not registered the lease agreements with government authorities in China.

According to Chinese laws, a lease agreement is generally required to be registered with the relevant land and real estate administration bureau. However, the enforcement of this legal requirement varies depending on the local regulations and practices and, in cities where we operate a significant number of restaurants, the local land and real estate administration bureaus no longer require registration or no longer impose fines for failure to register the lease agreements. In addition, our standard lease agreements require the lessors to make such registration and, although we have proactively requested that the applicable lessors complete or cooperate with us to complete the registration in a timely manner, we are unable to control whether and when such lessors will do so.

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2016 Form 10-K

A failure to register a lease agreement will not invalidate the lease agreement but may subject the parties to a fine. Depending on the local regulations, the lessor alone or both the lessor and lessee are under the obligation to register a lease agreement with the relevant land and real estate administration bureau. In the event that a fine is imposed on both the lessor and lessee, and if we are unable to recover from the lessor any fine paid by us based on the terms of the lease agreement, such fine will be borne by us.

To date, the operation of our restaurants has not been disrupted due to the non-registration of our lease agreements. No fines, actions or claims have been instituted against us or, to our knowledge, the lessors with respect to the non-registration of our lease agreements. However, we cannot assure you that our lease agreements relating to, and our right to use and occupy, our premises will not be challenged in the future.

Our restaurants are susceptible to risks in relation to unexpected land acquisitions, building closures or demolitions.

The Chinese government has the statutory power to acquire any land use rights of land plots and the buildings thereon in China in the public interest subject to certain legal procedures. Under the Regulations for the Expropriation of and Compensation for Housing on State-owned Land, issued by the State Council, which became effective as of January 21, 2011, there is no legal provision that the tenant of an expropriated property is entitled to compensation. Generally speaking, only the owner of such property is entitled to compensation from the government. The claims of the tenant against the landlord will be subject to the terms of the lease agreement. In the event of any compulsory acquisition, closure or demolition of any of the properties at which our restaurants or facilities are situated, we may not receive any compensation from the government or the landlord. In such event, we may be forced to close the affected restaurant(s) or relocate to other locations, which may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Any failure to comply with Chinese regulations regarding our employee equity incentive plans may subject Chinese plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

Pursuant to SAFE Circular 37, China residents who participate in share incentive plans in overseas non-publicly listed companies may submit applications to SAFE or its local branches for foreign exchange registration with respect to offshore special purpose companies. We and our directors, executive officers and other employees who are Chinese citizens or who have resided in China for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been granted restricted shares, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), or options are subject to the Notice on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly Listed Company, issued by SAFE in February 2012, according to which, employees, directors, supervisors and other management members participating in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly-listed company who are Chinese citizens or who are non-Chinese citizens residing in China for a continuous period of not less than one year, subject to limited exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be a Chinese subsidiary of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures. Failure to complete SAFE registrations may result in fines and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to make payments under our equity incentive plans or receive dividends or sales proceeds related thereto, or our ability to contribute additional capital into our wholly-foreign owned enterprises in China and limit our wholly-foreign owned enterprises’ ability to distribute dividends to us. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional equity incentive plans for our directors and employees under Chinese law.

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2016 Form 10-K

In addition, the SAT has issued circulars concerning employee SARs, share options and restricted shares. Under these circulars, employees working in China who exercise share options, or whose restricted shares or RSUs vest, will be subject to Chinese individual income tax. The Chinese subsidiaries of an overseas listed company have obligations to file documents related to employee share options or restricted shares with relevant tax authorities and to withhold individual income taxes of those employees related to their share options, restricted shares, SARs or RSUs. Although we currently intend to withhold income tax from our Chinese employees in connection with their exercise of options and SARs and the vesting of their restricted shares and RSUs, if the employees fail to pay, or our Chinese subsidiaries fail to withhold, their income taxes according to relevant laws, rules and regulations, our Chinese subsidiaries may face sanctions imposed by the tax authorities or other Chinese government authorities.

Failure to make adequate contributions to various employee benefit plans as required by Chinese regulations may subject us to penalties.

Companies operating in China are required to participate in various government-sponsored employee benefit plans, including certain social insurance, housing funds and other welfare-oriented payment obligations, and contribute to the plans in amounts equal to certain percentages of salaries, including bonuses and allowances, of their employees up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time at locations where they operate their businesses. While we believe we comply with all material aspects of relevant regulations, the requirements governing employee benefit plans have not been implemented consistently by the local governments in China given the different levels of economic development in different locations. If we are subject to late fees or fines in relation to the underpaid employee benefits, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

The audit report included in this annual report on Form 10-K is prepared by auditors who are not currently inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, our stockholders are deprived of the benefits of such inspection.

As an auditor of companies that are publicly traded in the United States and a firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), our independent registered public accounting firm is required under the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB. However, because we have substantial operations within China, our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit documentation related to their audit report included in this annual report on Form 10-K is located in China. The PCAOB is currently unable to conduct full inspections in China or review audit documentation located within China without the approval of Chinese authorities.

Inspections of other auditors conducted by the PCAOB outside of China have at times identified deficiencies in those auditors’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The lack of PCAOB inspections of audit work undertaken in China prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating our auditor’s audits and its quality control procedures. As a result, stockholders may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections, and may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements.

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2016 Form 10-K

Proceedings instituted by the SEC against certain China-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, could result in our financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

In late 2012, the SEC commenced administrative proceedings under Rule 102(e) of its Rules of Practice and also under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 against the Chinese member firms of the “big four” accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm. The Rule 102(e) proceedings initiated by the SEC relate to the failure of these firms to produce certain documents, including audit work papers, in response to a request from the SEC pursuant to Section 106 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The auditors located in China claim they are not in a position lawfully to produce such documents directly to the SEC because of restrictions under Chinese law and specific directives issued by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”). The issues raised by the proceedings are not specific to our auditor or to us, but potentially affect equally all PCAOB-registered audit firms based in China and all businesses based in China (or with substantial operations in China) with securities listed in the United States. In addition, auditors based outside of China are subject to similar restrictions under Chinese law and CSRC directives in respect of audit work that is carried out in China which supports the audit opinions issued on financial statements of entities with substantial China operations.

In January 2014, the administrative judge reached an initial decision that the Chinese member firms of the “big four” accounting firms should be barred from practicing before the SEC for a period of six months. In February 2014, the accounting firms filed a petition for review of the initial decision. In February 2015, the Chinese member firms of the “big four” accounting firms reached a settlement with the SEC. As part of the settlement, each of the “big four” accounting firms agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute with the SEC. The settlement stays the current proceeding for four years, during which time the firms are required to follow detailed procedures to seek to provide the SEC with access to Chinese firms’ audit documents via the CSRC. If a firm does not follow the procedures, the SEC may impose penalties such as suspensions, or commence a new, expedited administrative proceeding against any non-compliant firm. The SEC could also restart administrative proceedings against all four firms.

If our independent registered public accounting firm were denied, even temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC, and we are unable to timely find another independent registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined not to be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to delisting of our common stock from the New York Stock Exchange. Moreover, any negative news about the proceedings against these audit firms may adversely affect investor confidence in companies with substantial China based operations listed on securities exchanges in the United States. All of these factors could materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock and our ability to access the capital markets.

Chinese regulation of loans to, and direct investment in, Chinese entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may restrict or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to our Chinese subsidiaries, which may materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

We are a Delaware holding company conducting our operations in China through our Chinese subsidiaries. We may make loans to our Chinese subsidiaries, or we may make additional capital contributions to our Chinese subsidiaries, or we may establish new Chinese subsidiaries and make capital contributions to these new Chinese subsidiaries, or we may acquire offshore entities with business operations in China in an offshore transaction.

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2016 Form 10-K

Most of these uses are subject to Chinese regulations and approvals. For example, loans by us to our wholly-owned Chinese subsidiaries to finance their activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the local counterpart of SAFE. If we decide to finance our wholly-owned Chinese subsidiaries by means of capital contributions, in practice, we might be still required to obtain  approval from the China Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM”) or its local counterpart.

On August 29, 2008, SAFE promulgated the Circular on the Relevant Operating Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of the Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 142, regulating the conversion by a foreign-invested enterprise of foreign currency registered capital into RMB by restricting how the converted RMB may be used. SAFE Circular 142 provides that RMB capital converted from foreign currency registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise may only be used for purposes within the business scope approved by the applicable governmental authority and may not be used for equity investments within China with limited exceptions (e.g., by holding companies, venture capital or private equity firms). In addition, SAFE strengthened its oversight of the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from the foreign currency registered capital of a foreign-invested company. The use of such RMB capital may not be altered without SAFE approval, and such RMB capital may not in any case be used to repay RMB loans if the proceeds of such loans have not been used. Such requirements are also known as the “payment-based foreign currency settlement system” established under SAFE Circular 142. Violations of SAFE Circular 142 could result in monetary or other penalties. Furthermore, SAFE promulgated a circular on November 9, 2010, known as Circular 59, and another supplemental circular on July 18, 2011, known as Circular 88, which both tightened the examination of the authenticity of settlement of foreign currency capital or net proceeds from overseas listings. SAFE further promulgated the Circular on Further Clarification and Regulation of the Issues Concerning the Administration of Certain Capital Account Foreign Exchange Businesses, or Circular 45, on November 9, 2011, which expressly prohibited foreign-invested enterprises from using registered capital settled in RMB converted from foreign currencies to grant loans through entrustment arrangements with a bank, repay inter-company loans or repay bank loans that have been transferred to a third party. Circular 142, Circular 59, Circular 88 and Circular 45 may significantly limit our ability to make loans or capital contributions to our Chinese subsidiaries and to convert such proceeds into RMB, which may adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business in China.

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2016 Form 10-K

Furthermore, on April 8, 2015, SAFE promulgated the Circular on the Reform of the Administrative Method of the Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or Circular 19, which became effective as of June 1, 2015. This Circular 19 is to implement the so-called “conversion-at-will” of foreign currency in capital account, which was established under a circular issued by SAFE on August 4, 2014, or Circular 36, and was implemented in 16 designated industrial parks as a reform pilot. The Circular 19 now implements the conversion-at-will of foreign currency settlement system nationally, and it abolishes the application of Circular 59 and Circular 45 on March 19, 2015 as well as Circular 142, Circular 88 and Circular 36 starting from June 1, 2015. Among other things, under Circular 19, foreign-invested enterprises may either continue to follow the payment-based foreign currency settlement system or elect to follow the conversion-at-will of foreign currency settlement system. Where a foreign-invested enterprise follows the conversion-at-will of foreign currency settlement system, it may convert any or 100% of the amount of the foreign currency in its capital account into RMB at any time. The converted RMB will be kept in a designated account known as “Settled but Pending Payment Account,” and if the foreign-invested enterprise needs to make further payment from such designated account, it still needs to provide supporting documents and go through the review process with its bank. If under special circumstances the foreign-invested enterprise cannot provide supporting documents in time, Circular 19 grants the banks the power to provide a grace period to the enterprise and make the payment before receiving the supporting documents. The foreign-invested enterprise will then need to submit the supporting documents within 20 working days after payment. In addition, foreign-invested enterprises are now allowed to use their converted RMB to make equity investments in China under Circular 19. However, foreign-invested enterprises are still required to use the converted RMB in the designated account within their approved business scope under the principle of authenticity and self-use. It remains unclear whether a common foreign-invested enterprise, other than such special types of enterprises as holding companies, venture capital or private equity firms, can use the converted RMB in the designated account to make equity investments if equity investment or similar activities are not within their approved business scope.

In light of the various requirements imposed by Chinese regulations on loans to and direct investment in Chinese entities by offshore holding companies as discussed above, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, or at all, with respect to future loans by us to our Chinese subsidiaries or with respect to future capital contributions by us to our Chinese subsidiaries. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to capitalize or otherwise fund our Chinese operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

Risks Related to the Separation and Related Transactions

The separation may not achieve some or all of the anticipated benefits.

We may not realize some or all of the anticipated strategic, financial, operational or other benefits from the separation. The separation and distribution is expected to provide the following benefits, among others:

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2016 Form 10-K

We may not achieve these and other anticipated benefits for a variety of reasons, including, among others:

If the distribution does not qualify as a transaction that is generally tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Company could be subject to significant tax liabilities, and, in certain circumstances, the Company could be required to indemnify YUM for material taxes and other related amounts pursuant to indemnification obligations under the tax matters agreement.

The distribution was conditioned on YUM’s receipt of opinions of outside advisors regarding the tax-free treatment of the distribution for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The opinions relied on various assumptions and representations as to factual matters made by YUM and us which, if inaccurate or incomplete in any material respect, would jeopardize the conclusions reached by such advisors in their opinions. The opinions are not binding on the IRS or the courts, and there can be no assurance that the IRS or the courts will not challenge the conclusions stated in the opinions or that any such challenge would not prevail.

If, notwithstanding receipt of the opinions, the distribution were determined to be a taxable transaction, YUM would be treated as having sold shares of the Company in a taxable transaction, likely resulting in a significant taxable gain. Pursuant to the tax matters agreement, the Company and YCCL agreed to indemnify YUM for any taxes and related losses resulting from any breach of covenants regarding the preservation of the tax-free status of the distribution, certain acquisitions of our equity securities or assets, or those of certain of our affiliates or subsidiaries, and any breach by us or any member of our group of certain representations in the documents delivered by us in connection with the distribution. Therefore, if the distribution fails to qualify as a transaction that is generally tax-free as a result of one of these actions or events, we may be required to make material payments to YUM under this indemnity.

YUM may be subject to Chinese indirect transfer tax with respect to the distribution, in which event we could be required to indemnify YUM for material taxes and related amounts pursuant to indemnification obligations under the tax matters agreement.

As noted above, Bulletin 7 provides that in certain circumstances a non-resident enterprise may be subject to Chinese enterprise income tax on an “indirect transfer” of Chinese interests. YUM concluded, and we concurred, that it believes that the distribution had a reasonable commercial purpose and that it is more likely than not that YUM will not be subject to this tax with respect to the distribution. However, there are uncertainties regarding the circumstances in which the tax will apply, and there can be no assurances that the Chinese tax authorities will not seek to impose this tax on YUM.

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2016 Form 10-K

Pursuant to the tax matters agreement, the Company and YCCL have agreed to indemnify YUM for a portion (tied to the relative market capitalization of YUM and the Company during the thirty trading days after the distribution) of any taxes and related losses resulting from the application of Bulletin 7 to the distribution. Alternatively, if Bulletin 7 applies to the distribution as a result of a breach by the Company or Company group members of certain representations or covenants, or due to certain actions of the Company or Company group members following the distribution, the Company and YCCL generally will indemnify YUM for all such taxes and related losses. Therefore, if YUM is subject to such Chinese tax with respect to the distribution, we may be required to make material payments to YUM under this indemnity. Such payments could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

As a result of the separation, our ability to engage in strategic transactions may be limited. In addition, we could be liable for adverse tax consequences resulting from engaging in such transactions.

To preserve the tax-free treatment to YUM and its shareholders of the separation and the distribution for U.S. federal income tax purposes, under the tax matters agreement that we entered into with YUM, for a period of time following the distribution, we generally will be prohibited from taking certain actions that could prevent the distribution and related transactions from qualifying as a transaction that is generally tax-free, for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Sections 355 and 361 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). Under the tax matters agreement, for the two-year period following the distribution, the Company will be prohibited, except in certain circumstances, from:

In addition, the Company is prohibited from taking any action that, or failing to take any action the failure of which to take, would be inconsistent with the tax-free treatment of the distribution and related transactions.

These restrictions may limit our ability to pursue certain strategic transactions or other transactions that may maximize the value of our business.

The distribution may be taxable to YUM and the Company if there is an acquisition of 50% or more of YUM or Company common stock.

Even if the distribution otherwise qualifies as a transaction that is generally tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the distribution of Company common stock to YUM shareholders in connection with the distribution would result in significant U.S. federal income tax liabilities to YUM under the Code (but not to YUM shareholders) if it were deemed part of a “plan” pursuant to which one or more persons acquire, directly or indirectly, shares representing a 50% or greater interest (by vote or value) in YUM or the Company.

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2016 Form 10-K

For purposes of determining whether the distribution of Company common stock to YUM shareholders in connection with the distribution is disqualified as tax-free to YUM under the rules described in the preceding paragraph, any acquisitions of the stock of YUM or the Company within two years before or after the distribution may be presumed to be part of such a “plan,” although the parties may be able to rebut that presumption. For purposes of this test, acquisitions of Company common stock by Pollos Investment L.P., an affiliate of Primavera Capital Group (“Primavera”), and API (Hong Kong) Investment Limited, an affiliate of Zhejiang Ant Small and Micro Financial Services Group Co., Ltd. (“Ant Financial” and together with Primavera, the “Investors”), within two years after the distribution will likely be treated as part of such a “plan.” In particular, under the terms of the investment agreements among the Company, YUM and the Investors, the Investors acquired in the aggregate 4.8% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock, which acquisition will be taken into account for purposes of this test. Also, under the terms of the shareholders agreement entered into with the Investors, the Investors are permitted to acquire more Company common stock in the two years following the distribution (including pursuant to the warrants held by the Investors), provided that the Investors’ shares of Company common stock (in the aggregate) do not exceed 19.9% of the total shares of the Company’s outstanding common stock (subject to certain conditions in the shareholders agreement). Any such additional acquisitions of Company common stock by the Investors in the two years following the distribution will similarly be taken into account for purposes of this test. If one or more other persons acquire, directly or indirectly, shares of the Company that, together with such acquisitions by the Investors in the two years after the distribution, represent a 50% or greater interest (by vote or value) in the Company, such acquisitions may be deemed part of a “plan” that includes the distribution.

The rules for determining whether shares representing a 50% or greater interest (by vote or value) in YUM or the Company have been acquired as part of a “plan” that includes the distribution are complex, inherently factual and subject to interpretation of the facts and circumstances of a particular case. If the Company does not carefully monitor its compliance with these rules, it might inadvertently cause or permit such a prohibited change in the ownership of its stock to occur, resulting in significant federal income tax liabilities to YUM under the Internal Revenue Code. Under the terms of the tax matters agreement among YUM, YCCL and the Company entered into in connection with the distribution, YCCL and the Company are generally required to indemnify YUM against any such tax liabilities, which may have a material adverse effect on the Company. These indemnity obligations could also discourage or prevent a third party from making a proposal to acquire the Company during the relevant period.

We have limited history operating as an independent publicly traded company and our accounting and other management systems and resources may not be adequately prepared to meet the financial reporting and other requirements to which we are subject.

Prior to the separation and distribution, our financial results were included within the consolidated results of YUM, and our reporting and control systems were appropriate for those of a subsidiary of a public company. We have only recently been directly subject to reporting and other requirements of the Exchange Act, and Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. As an independent company, we are subject to additional reporting and other requirements, which require, among other things, annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting and a report by our independent registered public accounting firm addressing these assessments. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that we include a report from management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2017. In addition, beginning at the same time, our independent registered public accounting firm must report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. These and other obligations may place significant demands on our management, administrative and operational resources, including accounting and IT resources.

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2016 Form 10-K

To comply with these requirements, we may need to implement additional financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures and hire additional staff. We expect to incur additional annual expenses related to these steps, which expenses may be significant. If we are unable to upgrade our financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures in a timely and effective fashion, our ability to comply with our financial reporting requirements and other rules that apply to reporting companies could be impaired. Any failure to achieve and maintain effective internal controls could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Being a public company subject to additional laws, rules and regulations requires the investment of additional resources to comply with these laws, rules and regulations. In this regard, we have incurred and will continue to incur expenses related to, among other things, director and officer liability insurance, director fees, expenses associated with our SEC reporting obligations, transfer agent fees, increased auditing and legal fees and similar expenses, which expenses may be significant.

Our management has limited experience managing a public company, and regulatory compliance may divert management’s attention from the day-to-day management of our business.

Our management team has limited experience managing a publicly traded company, interacting with public company investors or complying with the increasingly complex laws and requirements pertaining to public companies. These requirements include record keeping, financial reporting and corporate governance rules and regulations and involve significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under U.S. federal securities laws and the scrutiny of securities analysts and investors. These new obligations require substantial attention from our management team and could divert its attention away from the day-to-day management of our business, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

There can be no assurance that we will have access to the capital markets on terms acceptable to us.

From time to time, we may need to access the long-term and short-term capital markets to obtain financing. Although we believe that our existing sources of capital will permit us to finance our operations for the foreseeable future on acceptable terms and conditions, our access to, and the availability of, financing on acceptable terms and conditions in the future or at all will be impacted by many factors, including, but not limited to:

There can be no assurance, particularly as a relatively new company that currently has no credit rating, that we will have access to the capital markets on terms acceptable to us or at all.

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2016 Form 10-K

We have incurred and will continue to incur increased administrative and other costs by virtue of our status as an independent public company. Our historical financial information for periods prior to the distribution is not necessarily representative of the results that we would have achieved as a separate, publicly traded company and may not be a reliable indicator of our future results.

Our historical information for periods prior to the distribution refers to our business as operated by and integrated with YUM. Such information is derived from or based on the consolidated financial statements and accounting records of YUM. Accordingly, our historical financial information for periods prior to the distribution does not necessarily reflect the financial condition, results of operations or cash flows that we would have achieved as a separate, publicly traded company during the periods presented or those that we will achieve in the future primarily as a result of the following factors, among others:

Other significant changes may occur in our cost structure, management, financing and business operations as a result of operating as a company separate from YUM.

The master license agreement that we entered into with YUM limits our ability to compete with YUM and contains other restrictions on our operations.

The master license agreement includes non-compete provisions pursuant to which we generally agree to not compete with YUM. The master license agreement also contains other restrictions on our operations, including restrictions on us or our affiliates from engaging in a “competing business” in China and other countries in which YUM operates its brands during the term of the agreement and for twelve months following the expiration, termination or transfer of the agreement or an interest in the agreement.

These restrictions could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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YUM may fail to perform under certain transaction agreements that we entered into with it as part of the separation, and we may not have necessary systems and services in place when these transaction agreements expire.

In connection with the separation, the Company and YUM entered into several agreements, including among others a master license agreement, a separation and distribution agreement, a tax matters agreement, an employee matters agreement, a transition services agreement and a name license agreement. The master license agreement establishes a bilateral relationship between YUM and us for an initial term of fifty (50) years subject to renewal as described in Item 1. “Business – Trademarks and Patents.” The separation and distribution agreement, tax matters agreement, employee matters agreement, transition services agreement and name license agreement determine, among other things, the allocation of assets and liabilities between the companies and include any necessary indemnifications related to liabilities and obligations. If YUM is unable to satisfy its obligations under these agreements, we could incur operational difficulties or losses that could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Potential indemnification liabilities owing to YUM pursuant to the separation and distribution agreement could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The separation and distribution agreement provides for, among other things, indemnification obligations generally designed to make us financially responsible for (i) certain liabilities associated with our business; (ii) our failure to pay, perform or otherwise promptly discharge any liabilities or contracts relating to the Company business, in accordance with their respective terms, whether prior to, at or after the distribution; (iii) any guarantee, indemnification obligation, surety bond or other credit support agreement, arrangement, commitment or understanding by YUM for our benefit, unless related to liabilities primarily associated with the YUM business; (iv) certain tax liabilities; (v) any breach by us of the separation and distribution agreement or any of the ancillary agreements or any action by us in contravention of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws; and (vi) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, with respect to all information contained in the information statement relating to the distribution or any other disclosure document that describes the separation or the distribution or the Company and its subsidiaries or primarily relates to the transactions contemplated by the separation and distribution agreement, subject to certain exceptions. If we are required to indemnify YUM under the circumstances set forth in the separation and distribution agreement, we may be subject to substantial liabilities.

In connection with the separation, YUM has agreed to indemnify us for certain liabilities. However, there can be no assurance that the indemnity will be sufficient to insure us against the full amount of such liabilities, or that YUM’s ability to satisfy its indemnification obligation will not be impaired in the future.

Pursuant to the separation and distribution agreement and certain other agreements we entered into with YUM, YUM has agreed to indemnify us for certain liabilities set forth in the separation and distribution agreement. However, third parties could also seek to hold us responsible for any of the liabilities that YUM has agreed to retain, and there can be no assurance that the indemnity from YUM will be sufficient to protect us against the full amount of such liabilities, or that YUM will be able to fully satisfy its indemnification obligations. In addition, YUM’s insurers may attempt to deny us coverage for liabilities associated with certain occurrences of indemnified liabilities prior to the separation. Moreover, even if we ultimately succeed in recovering from YUM or such insurance providers any amounts for which we are held liable, we may be temporarily required to bear these losses. Each of these risks could negatively affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

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2016 Form 10-K

A court could require that we assume responsibility for obligations allocated to YUM under the separation and distribution agreement.

Under the separation and distribution agreement and related ancillary agreements, from and after the separation, each of YUM and the Company will be generally responsible for the debts, liabilities and other obligations related to the business or businesses which they own and operate following the consummation of the separation. Although we do not expect to be liable for any obligations that are not allocated to us under the separation and distribution agreement, a court could disregard the allocation agreed to between the parties, and require that we assume responsibility for obligations allocated to YUM (for example, tax and/or environmental liabilities), particularly if YUM were to refuse or were unable to pay or perform the allocated obligations.

Potential liabilities may arise due to fraudulent transfer considerations, which would adversely affect our  results of operations and financial condition.

In connection with the separation and distribution, YUM completed several corporate reorganization transactions involving its subsidiaries which, along with the separation and distribution, may be subject to federal and state fraudulent conveyance and transfer laws. If, under these laws, a court were to determine that, at the time of the separation and distribution, any entity involved in these reorganization transactions or the separation and distribution:

then the court could void the separation and distribution, in whole or in part, as a fraudulent conveyance or transfer. The court could then require our stockholders to return to YUM some or all of the shares of Company common stock issued in the distribution, or require YUM or the Company, as the case may be, to fund liabilities of the other company for the benefit of creditors. The measure of insolvency will vary depending upon the jurisdiction whose law is being applied. Generally, however, an entity would be considered insolvent if the fair value of its assets was less than the amount of its liabilities, or if it was unable to pay its liabilities as they mature.

Certain of our executive officers and directors may have actual or potential conflicts of interest because of their previous positions at YUM.

Even though our board of directors consists of a majority of directors who are independent, and our executive officers who were employees of YUM ceased to be employees of YUM, some of our executive officers and directors continue to have a financial interest in YUM common stock and equity awards as a result of their former positions with YUM. Such ownership of YUM common stock or holding of YUM equity awards could create, or appear to create, potential conflicts of interest if the Company and YUM pursue the same corporate opportunities, have disagreements about the contracts between them or face decisions that could have different implications for the Company and YUM.

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2016 Form 10-K

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

Our common stock has had relatively limited trading history, and the Company’s stock price may fluctuate significantly.

There was no public market for our common stock prior to the distribution. The market price of Company common stock may decline or fluctuate significantly due to a number of factors, some of which may be beyond our control, including:

The Company cannot guarantee the timing or amount of dividends on, or repurchases of, its common stock.

We intend to retain a significant portion of our earnings to finance the operation, development and growth of our business. Any future determination to declare and pay cash dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our financial condition, results of operations, actual or anticipated cash requirements, tax considerations, contractual or regulatory restrictions and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant. Our board of directors has authorized a $300 million share repurchase program. However, repurchases under the program will be at the discretion of management and we cannot guarantee the timing or amount of any share repurchases. For more information, see Item 5. “Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.”

Your percentage of ownership in the Company may be diluted in the future.

In the future, your percentage ownership in the Company may be diluted because of equity awards that we intend to grant to our directors, officers and employees or otherwise as a result of equity issuances for acquisitions or capital market transactions. The Company’s and certain of YUM’s employees have equity awards with respect to Company common stock as a result of conversion of their YUM equity awards (in whole or in part) to Company equity awards in connection with the distribution. Such awards will have a dilutive effect on the Company’s earnings per share, which could adversely affect the market price of Company common stock. From time to time, the Company will issue additional stock-based awards to its employees under the Company’s employee benefit plans.

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2016 Form 10-K

In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue, without the approval of the Company’s stockholders, one or more classes or series of preferred stock that have such designation, powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights, including preferences over Company common stock respecting dividends and distributions, as our board of directors generally may determine. The terms of one or more classes or series of preferred stock could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of Company common stock. Similarly, the repurchase or redemption rights or liquidation preferences we could assign to holders of preferred stock could affect the residual value of the common stock.

The interests of the Investors may differ from the interests of other holders of Company common stock, and the ownership percentage of other holders of Company common stock who received the shares of the Company’s common stock in the distribution will be diluted as a result of the exercise of the warrants by the Investors.

In connection with the separation and distribution, the Investors received shares of common stock, representing approximately 4.8% of the outstanding shares of Company common stock as of February 28, 2017, or approximately 8.7% of the outstanding shares of Company common stock as of February 28, 2017 assuming the full exercise of warrants held by each of the Investors. The Company’s full year 2016 earnings per share reflects only two months of impact from the shares issued to the Investors in connection with the separation and distribution, and such shares would have had an additional dilutive effect had they been outstanding for the full year 2016. Any shares issued as a result of the exercise of the warrants will have a dilutive effect on the Company’s earnings per share, which could adversely affect the market price of Company common stock. In addition, the Investors have the ability to acquire additional shares of Company common stock in the open market (subject to an aggregate beneficial ownership interest limit of 19.9%).

The interests of the Investors may differ from those of other holders of Company common stock in material respects. For example, the Investors may have an interest in pursuing acquisitions, divestitures, financings or other transactions that could enhance their respective equity portfolios, even though such transactions might involve risks to holders of Company common stock. The Investors may, from time to time in the future, acquire interests in businesses that directly or indirectly compete with certain portions of the Company’s business or are suppliers or customers of the Company. Additionally, the Investors may determine that the disposition of some or all of their interests in the Company would be beneficial to the Investors at a time when such disposition could be detrimental to the other holders of Company common stock.

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2016 Form 10-K

Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Delaware law and our stockholder rights plan might discourage or delay acquisition attempts for us that you might consider favorable.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and our stockholder rights plan contain provisions, summarized below, that could make it more difficult to acquire control of the Company by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or otherwise, or to remove incumbent officers and directors. Further, as a Delaware corporation, we are subject to provisions of Delaware law, which may impair a takeover attempt that our stockholders may find beneficial. These provisions might discourage certain types of coercive takeover practices and takeover bids that our board of directors may consider inadequate or delay acquisition attempts for us that holders of Company common stock might consider favorable.

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2016 Form 10-K

Not applicable.

As of year-end 2016, the Company leased land, building or both for 6,008 units in China, which unit count includes land use rights for approximately 38 properties. The Company-owned units are further detailed as follows:

Company-owned restaurants in China are generally leased for initial terms of 10 to 20 years and generally do not have renewal options. The Company leases its corporate headquarters and test kitchen facilities in Shanghai, China and owns land use rights for six non-store properties of Little Sheep. The Company subleases approximately 180 properties to franchisees. Additional information about the Company’s properties is included in Note 12 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8.

The Company believes that its properties are generally in good operating condition and are suitable for the purposes for which they are being used.

The Company is subject to various lawsuits covering a variety of allegations from time to time. The Company believes that the ultimate liability, if any, in excess of amounts already provided for these matters in the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements, is not likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s annual results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. Matters faced by the Company from time to time include, but are not limited to, claims from landlords, employees, customers and others related to operational, contractual or employment issues. There were no material legal proceedings as of December 31, 2016.

Not applicable.

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2016 Form 10-K

PART II

Yum China common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol YUMC. Yum China common stock commenced trading on the NYSE on a “when-issued” basis on October 17, 2016 and began “regular-way” trading on November 1, 2016. Prior to October 17, 2016, there was no public market for Yum China common stock.

The following sets forth, for the period indicated, the high and low NYSE composite closing sale prices for Yum China common stock.

As of February 28, 2017, there were 50,903 holders of record of Yum China’s common stock. The number of registered holders does not include holders who are beneficial owners, but whose shares are held in street name by brokers and other nominees.

Dividends and Share Repurchases

Yum China has not paid any dividends or engaged in any share repurchases since the separation and distribution through the date on which this Form 10-K was filed with the SEC. We intend to retain a significant portion of our earnings to finance the operation, development and growth of our business. Any future determination to declare and pay cash dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our financial condition, results of operations, actual or anticipated cash requirements, contractual or regulatory restrictions, tax considerations and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant. On February 7, 2017, we announced that our board of directors authorized a $300 million share repurchase program. Yum China may repurchase shares under this program from time to time in open market or privately negotiated transactions, including block trades, accelerated share repurchase transactions and Rule 10b5-1 trading plans.

Our ability to declare and pay any dividends on our stock may be restricted by applicable Chinese laws. The laws, rules and regulations applicable to our Chinese subsidiaries permit payments of dividends only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with applicable Chinese accounting standards and regulations. Under Chinese law, an enterprise incorporated in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, after making up previous years’ accumulated losses, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds, until the aggregate amount of such a fund reaches 50% of its registered capital. As a result, our Chinese subsidiaries are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets to us in the form of dividends. At the discretion of the board of directors, as an enterprise incorporated in China, each of our Chinese subsidiaries may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on Chinese accounting standards to staff welfare and bonus funds. These reserve funds and staff welfare and bonus funds are not distributable as cash dividends.

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2016 Form 10-K

Stock Performance Graph

This graph compares the cumulative total return of our common stock from October 17, 2016, which is the date “when-issued” trading in our common stock commenced, through December 31, 2016, with the comparable cumulative total return of the S&P China BMI and MSCI Asia APEX 50, a peer group that includes the Company. The graph assumes that the value of the investment in our common stock and each index was $100 on October 17, 2016 and that all dividends were reinvested. We selected S&P China BMI and MSCI Asia APEX 50 for comparison, as YUMC is an index member of both of these indices.

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2016 Form 10-K

The following table presents our selected historical consolidated and combined financial data. We derived the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income (Loss) data and the Consolidated and Combined Cash Flows data for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, and the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets data as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, as set forth below, from our audited Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements, which are included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. We derived the Combined Statements of Income (Loss) data and the Combined Cash Flows data for the year ended December 31, 2013, and the Combined Balance Sheets data as of December 31, 2014, as set forth below, from our audited Combined Financial Statements that are not included in this Form 10-K. We derived the Combined Statements of Income (Loss) data and the Combined Cash Flows data for the year ended December 31, 2012, and the Combined Balance Sheets data as of December 31, 2013  and 2012, as set forth below, from our unaudited Combined Financial Statements that are not included in this Form 10-K.

Our combined financial information for periods prior to the separation may not necessarily reflect our financial position, results of operations or cash flows as if we had operated as an independent public company during the periods prior to October 31, 2016, including changes that occurred in our operations and capitalization as a result of the separation from YUM and the distribution. Accordingly, our historical combined results should not be relied upon as an indicator of our future performance.

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2016 Form 10-K

The following tables should be read together with, and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, the historical Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. Among other things, the historical Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements include more detailed information regarding the basis of presentation for the information in the following table. The tables should also be read together with the sections entitled “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

Selected Financial Data

Yum China Holdings, Inc.

(in US$ millions, except per share and unit amounts)

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2016 Form 10-K

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2016 Form 10-K

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements in Item 8, the “Forward-Looking Statements” section at the beginning of this Form 10-K and the “Risk Factors” section set forth in Item 1A.

All Note references in this MD&A refer to the Notes to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements included in Item 8. of this Form 10-K. Tabular amounts are displayed in millions of U.S. dollars except per share and unit count amounts, or as otherwise specifically identified. Percentages may not recompute due to rounding.

Basis of Presentation

The Company separated from YUM on October 31, 2016, becoming an independent, publicly traded company as a result of a pro rata distribution of all outstanding shares of Yum China common stock to shareholders of YUM. Accordingly, the financial statements presented in this Form 10-K represent (i) for periods prior to October 31, 2016, the combined financial statements of YUM’s China businesses and operations when Yum China was a wholly owned subsidiary of YUM (referred to as “Combined Financial Statements”) and (ii) for periods subsequent to October 31, 2016, the consolidated financial statements of the Company as a separate publicly traded company following its separation from YUM (referred to as “Consolidated Financial Statements”). Throughout this Form 10-K when we refer to the “financial statements,” we are referring to the “Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements,” unless the context indicates otherwise.

The Combined Financial Statements have been prepared on a standalone basis and are derived from YUM’s consolidated financial statements and underlying accounting records. Transactions between the Company and YUM that were not cash settled were considered to be effectively settled at the time the transactions are recorded. The Combined Financial Statements include all revenues, costs, assets and liabilities directly attributable to the Company either through specific identification or allocation. The Combined Statements of Income include allocations for certain of YUM’s Corporate functions which provide a direct benefit to the Company. These costs have been allocated based on Company system sales relative to YUM’s global system sales. All allocated costs have been deemed to have been paid to YUM in the period in which the costs were recorded. The Company considers the cost allocation methodology and results to be reasonable for the periods prior to October 31, 2016. However, the allocations may not be indicative of the actual expense that the Company would have experienced had the Company operated as an independent, publicly traded company for the periods prior to October 31, 2016. Upon the separation from YUM, Parent Company Investment was adjusted as a result of settlement of certain assets and liabilities with YUM and formed Yum China’s common stock and additional paid-in capital. See Note 2 to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements for further information.

Overview

We are the largest restaurant company in China, with over 7,500 restaurants as of year-end 2016, and $6.8 billion of revenue, net income of $502 million and $1.13 billion of adjusted EBITDA in 2016. Our growing restaurant base consists of China’s leading restaurant concepts, including KFC, Pizza Hut Casual Dining, Pizza Hut Home Service, East Dawning, Little Sheep and Taco Bell. Following our separation from YUM, we have the exclusive right to operate and sub-license the KFC, Pizza Hut and, subject to achieving certain agreed upon milestones, Taco Bell brands in China, excluding Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, and we own the East Dawning and Little Sheep marks outright. We were the first major global restaurant brand to enter China in 1987 and we have developed deep operating experience in the market. We have since grown to become one of China’s largest retail developers covering over 1,100 cities and opening an average of approximately two new restaurants per day over the past five years.

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2016 Form 10-K

Our KFC restaurants are the leading QSR brand in the PRC in terms of system sales and number of restaurants. As of December 31, 2016, KFC operated over 5,200 restaurants in over 1,100 cities across China. Measured by number of restaurants, we believe KFC has a two-to-one lead over the nearest Western QSR competitor in China and KFC continues to grow in both large and small cities. Similarly, Pizza Hut Casual Dining is the leading CDR concept in China as measured by system sales and number of restaurants. We believe Pizza Hut Casual Dining, with over 1,700 restaurants in over 400 cities as of December 31, 2016, has an approximately six-to-one lead in terms of restaurants over its nearest Western CDR competitor in China.

The operations of each of the Concept represent an operating segment of the Company within these Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. We have two reportable segments: KFC and Pizza Hut Casual Dining. Our remaining operating segments, including the operations of Pizza Hut Home Service, East Dawning, Little Sheep and Taco Bell, are combined and referred to as All Other Segments, as those operating segments are insignificant both individually and in the aggregate.

We intend for this MD&A to provide the reader with information that will assist in understanding our results of operations, including metrics that management uses to assess the Company’s performance. Throughout this MD&A, we discuss the following performance metrics:

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2016 Form 10-K

Results of Operations

Summary

All comparisons within this summary are versus the same period a year ago and exclude the impact of Special Items. All system sales growth, same-store sales growth and Operating Profit comparisons exclude the impact of foreign currency. Refer to Item 1. Business for a discussion on the seasonality of our operations.

In 2014, the Company’s sales and profits were significantly impacted by adverse publicity surrounding improper food handling practices by a former supplier. Specifically, on July 20, 2014, an undercover report was televised in China depicting improper food handling practices by supplier Shanghai Husi, a division of OSI, which is a large, global supplier to many in the restaurant industry. This triggered extensive news coverage in China that shook consumer confidence and impacted brand usage. Immediately following the incident, we experienced a significant, negative impact to sales and profits at both KFC and Pizza Hut Casual Dining. For further information about the potential impact of food safety risks on our business, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—Food safety and food-borne illness concerns may have an adverse effect on our reputation and business.”

In 2015, our sales and profits continued to be negatively impacted by the adverse publicity in July 2014. Sales initially turned significantly positive as we lapped the supplier incident, but overall sales in the second half of 2015 trailed our expectations, particularly at Pizza Hut Casual Dining. In the second half of 2015, KFC grew same-store sales 3% in the third quarter and 6% in the fourth quarter, which was below our forecasts. Over the same period, Pizza Hut Casual Dining experienced same-store sales declines of 1% in the third quarter and 8% in the fourth quarter. We believe that this performance was driven primarily by (1) extraordinary volatility in financial markets, currency devaluation and overall softer economic conditions which weigh more heavily on the casual dining sector; (2) the impact of online delivery aggregators entering the casual dining space; and (3) marketing promotions which underperformed our expectations.

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2016 Form 10-K

In 2016, the Company’s sales, excluding F/X, improved, as same-store sales turned around with positive trend, reversing a three-year period of declines. The Company overcame challenges arising from an international court ruling in July 2016 regarding claims to sovereignty over the South China Sea that triggered a series of regional protests and boycotts, intensified by social media, against a few international companies with well-known Western brands. The growth in Company’s profit was primarily aided by the impact of the retail tax structure reform implemented on May 1, 2016. The benefit from the retail tax structure reform was most visible and impactful on food and paper costs while other items such as utility cost and rental expense also benefited from it. For further information about the potential impact political, regulatory, economic and social conditions in China may have on our business, see “Item 1A. Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Changes in Chinese political policies and economic and social policies or conditions may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition and may result in our inability to sustain our growth and expansion strategies.”

2016 financial highlights are below:

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2016 Form 10-K

The Consolidated and Combined Results of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 are presented below:

Performance Metrics

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2016 Form 10-K

Special Items

Special Items, along with the reconciliation to the most comparable GAAP financial measure, are presented below.

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2016 Form 10-K

Adjusted EBITDA

Reported net income (loss), along with the reconciliation to Adjusted EBITDA, is presented below.

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2016 Form 10-K

Segment Results

KFC