YUM vs ALC Comparison

Yum Brands is a US-based restaurant operator featuring a portfolio of four brands: KFC (31,981 global units at year-end 2024), Pizza Hut (20,225 units), Taco Bell (8,757 units), and Habit Burger & Grill (nearly 400 units). With more than $65 billion in 2024 systemwide sales, the firm is the second-largest restaurant company in the world behind McDonald's ($131 billion), ahead of Restaurant Brands International ($44 billion) and Starbucks ($30 billion). Yum is 98% franchised, with the largest franchisee, Yum China, spun out in 2016, after which Yum China agreed to pay 3% royalties to Yum Brands in perpetuity. Yum is the newest evolution of Tricon, formerly a division of PepsiCo, and generates the bulk of its revenue from franchise royalties and marketing contributions.

Alcon is one of the leading visioncare companies in the world. Following nine years as a Novartis subsidiary, it was spun off as a public company in April 2019. Alcon operates in two segments: visioncare and surgical. Visioncare comprises contact lenses, lenscare solutions, and a suite of ocular health products. With brands like Dailies, Total1, and Air Optix, Alcon controls about one fourth of the US contact lens market. Surgical comprises intraocular lenses, ophthalmic surgical equipment, and consumables used during surgeries. Its main products include Centurion, a phacoemulsification device used during cataract surgeries, and a portfolio of IOLs including PanOptix and Vivity. Alcon has one of the largest installed bases of eye surgical equipment in the world.