<p>Hardcastle Restaurants, master franchisee for south and west India operations of burger chain McDonald's Corp, said it will merge with its parent Westlife Development Ltd.<br /><br /></p>.<p>After the merger, the parent plans to increase McDonald's retail footprint to strengthen its presence in the existing market and enter newer ones, Amit Jatia, vice-chairman of Westlife Development, said in a statement on Friday.<br /><br />Hardcastle will become a wholly owned unit of Bombay Stock Exchange-listed Westlife, giving investors a chance to participate in the growth of McDonald's in India.<br /><br />Hardcastle, which operates 148 restaurants in India, has been growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 22.3 per cent over the last three years.<br /></p>
<p>Hardcastle Restaurants, master franchisee for south and west India operations of burger chain McDonald's Corp, said it will merge with its parent Westlife Development Ltd.<br /><br /></p>.<p>After the merger, the parent plans to increase McDonald's retail footprint to strengthen its presence in the existing market and enter newer ones, Amit Jatia, vice-chairman of Westlife Development, said in a statement on Friday.<br /><br />Hardcastle will become a wholly owned unit of Bombay Stock Exchange-listed Westlife, giving investors a chance to participate in the growth of McDonald's in India.<br /><br />Hardcastle, which operates 148 restaurants in India, has been growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 22.3 per cent over the last three years.<br /></p>