• June 19, 2008

CKE Restaurants, Inc. has announced its subsidiary, Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc., has signed an agreement to open a minimum of 100 Carl's Jr. restaurants in the People's Republic of China over the next eight years.

The deal will bring SGX-listed BreadTalk Group Limited, a leading lifestyle Food and Beverage group, and Aspac F&B International Pte Ltd together with CKE, granting franchise rights for the Carl's Jr. brand in the municipalities of Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin, as well as the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu in China.

This agreement is part of CKE Restaurants' overall strategic plan to accelerate franchise development in international markets. Today's agreement represents the first phase in CKE's expansion effort to develop Carl's Jr. restaurants throughout the People's Republic of China. Currently, CKE franchises 294 international units between both its Carl's Jr. and Hardee's brands. CKE is expected to open its 300th international restaurant during the second quarter of the current fiscal year.

--Nina M. Lentini