(Yicai) Dec. 1 -- Burger King plans to open more than 200 new outlets in China next year as it remains confident in the local market despite fierce competition, the chief executive of the US fast-food chain's Chinese arm reportedly said.

Burger King's stores are mainly in first-tier and second-tier cities, but it plans to open new outlets in third-tier and fourth-tier cities, The Paper reported, citing Atakan Bozkurt as saying on Nov. 27. 

Around 40 percent of Chinese customers of fast-food restaurants prefer menus with local and Western foods, Bozkurt noted. Burger King China will launch more seasonal products with domestic flavors, he added.

The comprehensive income of TFI TAB Food Investments, Burger King's franchisee in China, surged seven times last year from 2013 when it entered the Chinese market, said Chairman Erhan Kurdoğlu. 

TFI also invests in and operates other restaurant chains, including Sbarro, Popeyes, and Arby's, Kurdoğlu added, but noted that whether the Istanbul-based company will launch other brands in China depends on market trends.

TFI is Türkiye's largest restaurant operator and the world's biggest Burger King franchisee, running 1,500 of the Miami-based firm's outlets in China.

Editor: Martin Kadiev