Edgar Filing: YUM BRANDS INC

Form 8-K 7.30.14

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

___________

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

July 30, 2014

Commission file number 1-13163

________________________

YUM! BRANDS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



	North Carolina	13-3951308
	(State or other jurisdiction of	(I.R.S. Employer
	incorporation or organization)	Identification No.)

	1441 Gardiner Lane, Louisville, Kentucky	40213
	(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (502) 874-8300

Former name or former address, if changed since last report: N/A

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

[ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

[ ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))



Section 7 - Regulation FD

Item 7.01	Regulation FD Disclosure

The Company is providing the following statement:

On July 20^th, an undercover report was televised in China depicting improper food handling practices by supplier Shanghai Husi, a division of OSI. Subsequently, the Shanghai FDA launched an investigation into this matter, alleging illegal activity. Upon learning of this, we immediately terminated our relationship with OSI globally, with minimal disruption to our menu offerings in China.

While OSI was not a major supplier to Yum! Brands, these events triggered extensive news coverage in China that has shaken consumer confidence, impacted brand usage, and disparaged the hard work of our over 400,000 Chinese employees. The result has been a significant, negative impact to same-store sales at both KFC and Pizza Hut in China over the past 10 days. Yum! Brands is outraged by the alleged illegal activity by Shanghai Husi and its violations of our standards. We reserve the right to take full legal action for the impact this has had to our business once the Shanghai FDA investigation is complete.

At this point, it is too early to know how quickly sales will rebound in China and the corresponding full-year financial impact to Yum! Brands. However, if the significant sales impact is sustained, it will have a material effect on full-year earnings per share. We will provide additional perspective on this matter during our third-quarter earnings call in October. Our brands have proven resilient over time and we expect this to be the case with this situation as well.

This announcement and any related announcements may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. 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. Our forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that can cause our actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to: food safety and food borne-illness issues; changes in economic conditions, consumer preferences, tax rates and laws and the regulatory environment, as well as increased competition and other risks in China, where a significant and growing portion of our restaurants are located; changes in economic and political conditions in the other countries outside the US where we operate; the impact or threat of any widespread illness or outbreaks of viruses or other diseases; our ability to protect the integrity and security of individually identifiable data of our customers and employees; our ability to secure and maintain distribution and adequate supply to our restaurants; the success of our international development strategy; commodity, labor and other operating costs; the continued viability and success of our franchise and license operators; consumer preferences and perceptions of our brands; the impact of social media; a potential suspension of the Chinese affiliate of our independent auditor; pending or future litigation and legal claims or proceedings; changes in or noncompliance with government regulations; tax matters, including disagreements with taxing authorities; significant changes in global economic conditions, including consumer spending, consumer confidence and unemployment; and competition within the retail food industry, including 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. You should consult our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including the information set forth under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K) for additional detail about factors that could affect our financial and other results. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and currently available data and are neither predictions nor guarantees of future events or performance. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We are not undertaking to update any of these statements.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.



			YUM! BRANDS, INC.
			(Registrant)



Date:	July 30, 2014	/s/ David E. Russell
		Vice President, Finance and Corporate Controller