McDonald's To Close 25 UK Branches

'The planned closures will result in lease cancellations and other charges totaling about $40 million for the quarter, the fast food chain said in a regulatory filing Monday.

'McDonald's also said it expects to take a first quarter charge of $20 million to buy restaurants now operated by franchisees in Brazil, though it did not say how many stores it would acquire.

'The company said both moves are being made to boost profitability in those markets, which it called "challenging."

'It said results in the U.K. have sagged because of "a highly competitive informal eating out market" and sluggish consumer confidence.