LOUISVILLE Ky. Roger Eaton has succeeded Gregg Dedrick as president of KFC USA, parent Yum! Brands Inc. announced early Tuesday. In a related change, Emil Brolick, formerly U.S. president of brand building for Yum, has assumed Eaton’s former duties as chief operating officer for the quick-service giant, whose holdings also include Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver’s and A&W All American Food.
In making the announcement, Yum stressed that Dedrick, 49, had resigned after 20 years to pursue other business opportunities and academic studies. He had been president of KFC since 2003. Yum said Dedrick would continue to work with the company until early 2009 to ease the transition.
Eaton, 47, will report directly to Yum chairman and chief executive David Novak. Before becoming the company’s chief operating and development officer five months ago, Eaton was senior vice president and managing director of the company’s South Pacific and African regions. A veteran of KFC’s Australian and New Zealand operations, he also has coached Yum executives who have been relocated from those areas to senior positions elsewhere within the company.
Yum did not say who would assume Eaton’s post of chief development officer. Nor did it say who would succeed Brolick, 60, as president of U.S. brand building. In his new role, Brolick is responsible for overseeing Yum’s development, “express business,” and quality assurance functions. He also is the immediate superior of Ben Butler, president of Long John Silver’s and A&W
KFC’s systemwide sales for 2007 were $5.3 billion, the same as the previous year. The number of domestic units fell in 2007 to 5,358 from 5,394 in 2006.
Yum, which oversees some 35,000 restaurants worldwide, no longer breaks out same-store sales comparisons by brand but reported a blended domestic same-store sales increase of 3 percent for its first quarter ended March 22.
Novak commented this spring that KFC, along with Pizza Hut, is being impacted by the economic downturn and more frugal consumer behavior.
