Yum China Holdings, Inc. 10-Q

Item 1. Legal Proceedings Information regarding legal proceedings is incorporated by reference from Note 15 to the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements set forth in Part I of this report. Item 1A. Ri sk Factors We face a variety of risks that are inherent in our business and our industry, including operational, legal and regulatory risks. Such risks could cause our actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, expectations and historical trends. Except as set forth below, there have been no material changes from the risk factors disclosed in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which was filed with the SEC on February 28, 2022. Health concerns arising from outbreaks of viruses or other illnesses may have a material adverse effect on our business. The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may continue to have, adverse effects on our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. Our business could be materially and adversely affected by the outbreak of a widespread health epidemic, such as COVID-19, avian flu or African swine flu. Outbreaks of contagious illness occur from time to time around the world, including in China where virtually all of our restaurants are located. The occurrence of such an outbreak or other adverse public health developments in China could materially disrupt our business and operations, including if government authorities impose mandatory closures, seek voluntary closures or impose restrictions on operations of restaurants. Furthermore, the risk of contracting viruses or other illnesses that may be transmitted through human contact could cause employees or guests to avoid gathering in public places or interacting with other people, which could materially and adversely affect restaurant guest traffic or the ability to adequately staff restaurants. An outbreak could also cause disruption in our supply chain, increase our raw material costs, increase operational complexity and adversely impact our ability to provide safety measures to protect our employees and customers, which could materially and adversely affect our continuous operations. Our operating costs may also increase as a result of taking precautionary measures to protect the health and wellbeing of our customers and employees during an outbreak. If an outbreak reaches pandemic levels, there may also be long-term effects on the economies of affected countries. Any of the foregoing within China would severely disrupt our operations and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. For example, starting in the first quarter of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the Company’s operations, resulting in a significant decline in Operating profit mainly driven by same-store sales declines and temporary store closures. At the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in China in 2020, approximately 35% of our restaurants were closed. Our operations and financial results of second half of 2021 were also significantly affected by multiple waves of Delta-variant outbreaks, spreading to nearly all provinces in China. In the first quarter of 2022, the highly transmissible Omicron variant caused significant volatility in our business operations. After a relatively stable period in January and February, the situation rapidly deteriorated in March 2022, resulting in the largest outbreak since COVID-19 first emerged in early 2020. Compared to the first quarter of 2020, the outbreaks were more severe, in terms of case counts, duration and geographical coverage, and restrictive measures were tighter during the first quarter of 2022. The Company incurred an operating loss in March 2022. Looking into the second quarter of 2022, the situation has been even more challenging. Many cities across large swaths of China have been fully or partially locked down for weeks or even months, including several economically important regions, such as Shanghai. Drastic public health measures are being stepped up nationwide, in line with the strict enforcement of the “ dynamic zero-COVID ” policy, resulting in further reductions of social activities, travel and consumption. In April, over 3,000 of our stores, on average, were either temporarily closed or offered only take away and delivery service, of which approximately 50% of the stores were temporarily closed. Same-store sales in April decreased by more than 20%. Unless conditions significantly improve in May and June, we expect to incur an operating loss in the second quarter of 2022. We expect that our operations will continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including outbreaks caused by existing or new COVID-19 variants and the actions taken by governmental authorities, such as regional lockdowns, measures restricting travel and large gatherings, and recommendations against dining out. It remains difficult to predict the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the broader economy and how consumer behavior may change, and whether such change is temporary or permanent. Social distancing, telecommunicating and reductions in travel may become the new normal. These conditions could fundamentally impact the way we work and the services we provide, and could have continuing adverse effects on our results of operations, cash flows and financial 41 condition after the pandemic subsides. The extent to which our operations continue to be impacted by the pandemic will depend largely on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted, including resurgences and further spread of existing or new COVID-19 variants, the actions by the government authorities to contain the pandemic or treat its impact, the availability and effectiveness of vaccines, the economic recovery within China and globally, the impact on consumer behavior and other related factors. Our insurance policy does not cover any losses we incur as a result of the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic also may have the effect of heightening other risks disclosed in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, such as, but not limited to, those related to supply chain management, labor shortage and cost, cybersecurity threats, as well as consumer perceptions of our brands. Even if a virus or other illness does not spread significantly, the perceived risk of infection or health risk may affect our business. Our operations could also be disrupted if any of our employees or employees of our business partners were suspected of having a contagious illness or susceptible to becoming infected with a contagious illness, since this could require us or our business partners to screen and/or quarantine some or all of such employees or disinfect our restaurant facilities. With respect to the avian flu, public concern over an outbreak may cause fear about the consumption of chicken, eggs and other products derived from poultry, which could cause customers to consume less poultry and related products. This would likely result in lower revenues and profits. Avian flu outbreaks could also adversely affect the price and availability of poultry, which could negatively impact our profit margins and revenues. The audit reports included in our annual reports on Form 10-K are prepared by auditors who are not currently inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, our stockholders are deprived of the benefits of such inspection and our common stock is subject to delisting from the New York Stock Exchange in the future. As an auditor of companies that are publicly traded in the United States and a firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), our independent registered public accounting firm is required under the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB. However, because substantially all of our operations are conducted within China, our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit documentation related to their audit reports included in our annual reports on Form 10-K is located in China. The PCAOB is currently unable to conduct full inspections in China or review audit documentation located within China without the approval of Chinese authorities, which has not been granted. Accordingly, the PCAOB has not inspected our independent registered public accounting firm or reviewed documentation related to the audit of our financial statements. Inspections of other auditors conducted by the PCAOB outside of China have at times identified deficiencies in those auditors’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The lack of PCAOB inspections of audit work undertaken in China prevents the PCAOB from evaluating our auditor’s audits and its quality control procedures. As a result, our stockholders do not have the benefit of PCAOB inspections, and may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements. On December 18, 2020, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “Act”) was signed into law. The Act requires the SEC to prohibit the securities of any “covered issuer,” including the Company, from being traded on any of the U.S. securities exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange, or traded “over-the-counter,” if the auditor of the covered issuer’s financial statements is not subject to PCAOB inspection for three consecutive years, beginning in 2021. On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted final rules implementing the Act, pursuant to which the SEC will implement the trading prohibition as soon as practicable after the covered issuer has been conclusively identified as a “Commission-Identified Issuer” for three consecutive years. In March 2022, the Company was conclusively identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer by the SEC. On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed a bill which, if also passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law, would reduce the number of consecutive non-inspection years required to trigger the trading prohibition under the Act from three years to two (the “Senate Proposed Act Amendment”). On February 4, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a larger bill containing provisions identical to the Senate Proposed Act Amendment which, if also passed by the U.S. Senate and signed into law, would have the same effect (the “House Proposed Act Amendment”). Unless the Act is amended to exclude the Company or the PCAOB is able to conduct a full inspection of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit documentation related to their audit reports during the required timeframe, which is subject to a variety of factors outside our control including the approval of Chinese authorities, then our common stock will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in early 2024 or, if the House Proposed Act Amendment or Senate Proposed Act Amendment becomes law, in early 2023. Such delisting would limit the liquidity of our common stock and our access to U.S. capital markets, and as a result the market price of our common stock could be materially adversely affected. 42 On April 2, 2022, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”) proposed revisions to the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing (Draft for Comments) (the “Draft Provisions”). The Draft Provisions outline obligations of issuers listed in overseas markets with operations in China when they provide information involving state secrets or sensitive information to their securities service providers (e.g., auditors) and overseas regulators. In addition, under the Draft Provisions, such issuers will also be required to report to the CSRC and other PRC authorities before accepting any investigation or inspection by overseas regulators. The Draft Provisions have not yet been adopted, and it remains unclear whether any material changes will be made to the Draft Provisions before adoption, or how such measures and provisions will be enacted, interpreted or implemented and how they will affect us.