McDonald's buys into British sandwich chain

First, it was Chipotle, then Great Britain's Aroma Cafe, followed by Donato's Pizza and finally, Boston Chicken. Now the world's largest chain, McDonald's-evidently as keenly aware of its core brand's saturation as are its franchisees-is getting in on the still-hot and growing "adult sandwich" segment

with its purchase last month of a 33% stake in London's Pret A Manger ("ready to eat"). With the backing of the Oakbrook, Ill.-based behemoth, the fast casual chain (estimated net worth, $140 million; last year's sales, an estimated $69 million) will establish a presence in the U.S. market and continue its growth throughout Europe. Currently, the privately held operation has a portfolio of 100 U.K. eateries. And with one U.S. Pret A Manger unit in New York City, the company says it plans to open additional Manhattan stores by the end of the year and enter the Asian cities of Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore. McDonald's has said that Pret A Manger's existing founders and managers will continue to run the operation and maintain full control of the brand.