Burger King Buys French-Belgian Burger Chain

Burger King has swallowed fast-food chain Quick in a further expansion of its stores in Western Europe.

Quick is a French-owned chain that was originally a Belgian company with 441 outlets throughout France, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Last year, it was bought by Burger King France, a group owned by French hotels and restaurant firm Group Bertrand that sells Burger King in France and the Low Countries.

Then, Burger King France intended to rebrand Quick's 340 French outlets as Burger Kings while keeping Quick as a Luxembourg and Belgium brand. Now, however, those restaurants will also be converted into Burger Kings, erasing Quick from the streets entirely.

Quick's strong financial position should help Burger King France expand. Last year, the company made a profit of 977 million euros. For its part, Burger King now works almost exclusively with franchise holders who own their own stores; 14,927 of Burger King's 15,003 locations are franchised.