Berjaya plans to open the first of these restaurants in KualaLumpur in late 2007 or early 2008 and will continue development inthe Klang Valley region and other cities over the next 10 years.The new franchisee expects to open more than 70 Wendy's restaurantsin Malaysia.

According to Dave Near, chief operations officer for Wendy'sInternational, Berjaya and its chairman and CEO, Tan Sri Dato' SeriVincent Tan, have considerable experience in successfully operatingseveral well-known restaurant brands. Berjaya, which has extensiveexperience in developing and managing quick service restaurants inMalaysia,operates the Starbucks and Kenny Rogers Roastersfranchises there, as well as Borders Books stores.

Based in Kuala Lumpur, Berjaya is a diversified, publicly tradedcompany that is engaged in core businesses including hotels andresorts, food and beverage companies, financial services, consumermarketing and manufacturing, among others. The Wendy's agreementwith the company is part of the restaurant chain's plan to focusdevelopment efforts in key markets outside of North America,according to James C. Hartenstein, a Wendy's SVP in internationaloperations.