New Delhi, April 28 -- Sapphire Foods India Ltd, which runs KFC and Pizza Hut in India, is stepping up a permanent value-pricing push at KFC to bring more customers into stores amid weak consumer demand. The move marks a shift in strategy from temporary promotions to discounting as the franchise operator prioritizes store traffic over immediate profitability.

"It's not a promotion, this is a permanent value layer that we are building," said chief executive officer Sanjay Purohit during the company's March-quarter earnings call.

The strategy centres on cheaper burger meals, low-priced combos, and periodic buy-one-get-one (Bogo) offers on chicken buckets. It was first tested in about 150 stores during November and December, was expanded t...