McDonald's well positioned in face of recession: CEO

Thu Nov 13, 2008 2:57am EST

BERLIN (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp (MCD.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is shielded against recession and has hardly been hit by the international financial crisis, Chief Executive Jim Skinner was quoted as saying on Thursday.

"Worldwide turbulence is barely affecting our business," Skinner told Germany's Bild daily. "We are growing worldwide, especially in Europe we have significant gains at the moment -- also in Germany."

Skinner said the fast-food chain would be in a better position without the global financial crisis and the significant rise in food prices, but added: "McDonald's seems well positioned for recession. In bad times, people think twice about where to spend money when going out for food."

His comments appeared in German and were translated by Reuters into English.

Last month McDonald's results showed it growing faster than rivals as U.S. consumers visit fewer restaurants, with the world's largest hamburger chain posting a quarterly profit that beat Wall Street estimates, helped by a 7 percent jump in global sales.

(Reporting by Kerstin Gehmlich; Editing by Greg Mahlich)

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