Wed 2nd Nov 2016 - Burger King owner in talks over UK investment Burger King owner in talks over UK investment: Burger King’s parent company Restaurant Brands International has approached ‎private equity firms about a deal to invest in its UK operations as it seeks to eke out cost savings in an increasingly competitive market. The company is in talks with possible backers including Bridgepoint, the owner of Pret A Manger, about a transaction, reports Sky News. The talks are preliminary and may not lead to an agreement, according to several insiders. Sources said Restaurant Brands International had contacted several private equity groups about a deal that would see it become the master franchisee of the world’s second-largest fast food burger chain’s operations in the UK. Under the US-based company’s plans, a private equity investor would inject tens of millions of pounds into a war chest to be used for buying out individual franchisees. Such an approach would replicate a similar model used by Burger King in South Korea and other international markets since the chain was acquired by 3G Capital, a Brazilian investment firm, in 2010. Restaurant Brands International is already said to have lined up a number of major UK franchisees to participate in a transaction. The majority of Burger King’s 700-plus UK restaurants are franchises, with several dozen owned by the parent company. The fast-food chain, which recently began trialling a home delivery service in the UK, ‎has been affected by competition from more upmarket competitors such as Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Byron. Globally, Restaurant Brands International recently reported a like-for-like sales increase at Burger King of 1.7% in the third quarter of its financial year, citing strength in its business in Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia-Pacific and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It does not break‎ down sales by individual markets. Restaurant Brands International collectively has more than 19,000 outlets in nearly 100 countries under the Burger King and Tim Hortons brands.