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Recession-proof? Better than that. McDonald’s Corp. 10-K annual report, filed with the SEC today, reveals that its global revenues (from company-owned and franchised restaurants) topped $70.6 billion in 2008, up 11.2% from 2007. Is there another major U.S. retailer in any category that can top that?

Sales by company-owned McDonald’s restaurants decreased 0.3% to $16.561 billion, but the company has been decreasing the number of restaurants it owns. There were 6,502 company stores at the end of 2008, compared with 6,906 a year earlier.

Global sales by franchised/licensed restaurants jumped more than 15% to $54.132 billion in 2008.

The total number of McDonald’s restaurants open worldwide at yearend 2008 was 31,967, up a modest 1.9%. Of that total, 13,918 are in the United States, an increase of only 0.4% during 2008.  There were 6,628 McDonald’s in Europe (up 2.3%) and 8,255 in the APMEA (Asia/Pacific/Middle East/Africa) regions, a nearly 4%. Additionally, 3,166 McDonald’s were in other countries.

The global restaurant count  includes 3,221 so-called “satellite” restaurants, the small-scale units such as those in airports.  Of these downsized units, 1,169 are in the United States.