KFC parent Yum profit beats even as bird flu batters China sales

NEW YORK: KFC parent Yum Brands Inc on Tuesday reported that quarterly profit fell less than Wall Street expected, despite a sharp drop in sales in its top market of China, and the company's shares jumped 6.5 percent.

Sales at established restaurants in China fell 20 percent during the first quarter and Yum warned that fears surrounding a bird flu outbreak there were continuing to depress sales already struggling to recover from a previous food safety scare.