Last October, the Israeli branch of the popular fast food chain McDonald’s gave free meals to their soldiers during their attack on the people of Gaza and since then, the global brand has been facing worldwide outrage. Sales have since plummeted and it was even suspected that some outlets in Malaysia were closed down due to the decreasing number of customers.
Yesterday (Thursday, 4th April), it was reported that McDonald’s Corporation is currently in the process of acquiring every outlet in Israel following the impact of the boycott. Is the company finally withdrawing itself from the state? Let’s find out:
In an official statement, McDonald’s Corporation made an announcement that they will acquire Alonyal, the company that owns about 225 McDonald’s outlets in Israel and has been operating the business for more than 30 years with over 5000 employees. However, this does not necessarily mean the brand will stop operating in the state. According to BBC, the staff would still be retained “on equivalent terms” and the US company remained “committed to the Israeli market”.
Unfortunately, the terms and conditions of this deal were not disclosed. The chief executive, Chris Kempczinsk said that the impact boycott has been “meaningful”, though he did not elaborate on what he meant by that. However, he did acknowledge the disappointing sales over the past few months. “Obviously the place that we’re seeing the most pronounced impact is in the Middle East. We are also seeing some impact in other Muslim countries like Malaysia, and Indonesia,” he added.
As for his thoughts on the backlash and the ongoing genocide, the McDonald’s boss said, “We recognise that families in their communities in the region continue to be tragically impacted by the war and our thoughts are with them at this time.” Netizens worldwide, especially those in Malaysia, reacted to the news of the acquisition. Many were disappointed that the brand will continue to operate in Israel, while others reminded and encouraged everyone to keep boycotting the fast food chain in hopes that it brings better results one day.
Some were still happy to hear McDonald’s admitting that the boycott has impacted their business greatly. Will the company one day part ways with Israel? Many would hope so – but, for now, we’ll just have to wait and see.
