Guy Hands tucks into Nordic McDonald’s franchise

Venture capitalist Guy Hands and his wife Julia have chomped down on McDonald’s operations in the Nordic countries, becoming the burger chain’s main franchise owner in the region.

Hands will take responsibility for 435 restaurants in Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden, which are 95% run by franchisees.

Buying the licensing contract will give the multimillionaire, who has paid for the deal from personal funds, the say over any new Nordic franchises.

“I and my family look forward to working with the McDonald’s teams in place across the region,” he said.

McDonald’s chief executive Steve Easterbrook, who hails from Watford, has tried to shake up the struggling chain by selling off franchise licences worldwide.

Hands (pictured) is chairman of private-equity firm Terra Firma, which owns Four Seasons care homes but is not involved in this deal.

Known as a maverick dealmaker, he agreed to buy the Millennium Dome and turn it into a Beatles theme park for Japanese bank Nomura in 2000 but the deal fell through.