Must fry harder: McDonald’s suffers worldwide dip in sales

McDonald’s says its sale slipped in April, with weakness across most regions. The world’s biggest hamburger chain, which is in the midst of a turnaround plan, said on Friday that global sales at established locations open at least 13 months fell 0.6 percent in April. In the U.S., the metric declined 2.3% due to ongoing competition and lower customer traffic. The biggest drop by region was in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa, which fell 3.8%. Ongoing challenges in Japan were partially offset by strong results in Australia and other markets.

We are moving quickly to deliver a better experience to our customers and to realize our vision to become a modern, progressive burger company.

CEO Steve Easterbrook

Europe was a bright spot, up 1%, with solid performances in the U.K. and Germany somewhat offset by softness in Russia and France. On Monday CEO Steve Easterbrook said that he will strip away the bureaucracy at McDonald’s Corp. so the Oak Brook, Illinois-based company can move more nimbly to keep up with changing tastes. The overhaul comes as McDonald’s profit dropped 15% last year, with sales dipping in regions around the world.

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