Mindshare China retains Yum Brands business

According to a source, the GroupM agency held on to the business without a pitch, following an annual review. The source said Mindshare had been awarded a "multi-year contract".

Mindshare was unable to comment on the account at the time of press, but according to Chinese research company CTR, monitored spend for Yum Brands in China in 2010 stood at an estimated RMB11.4 billion (US$1.7 billion).

Yum Brands is one of China's leading restaurant players. According to the company website, KFC is the largest and fastest growing restaurant chain in the country, with over 3,200 restaurants in more than 700 cities

China is also the company's number-one market for new company restaurant development worldwide. In 2010 alone, Yum Brands opened more than 500 new restaurants in mainland China.