No exact science in PE investments

DESPITE Ekuiti Nasional Bhd (Ekuinas) booking a loss from its investments in the Burger King franchise, the government-linked private equity fund management company says exiting the quick service restaurants (QSR) segment will help narrow its focus to its other profitable franchise businesses.

Explaining the rationale for its investments in the Malaysian and Singapore franchises for Burger King in 2011 and 2012, Ekuinas says that the brand had been largely underpenetrated with only around 20 restaurants in Malaysia at entry.