SHANGHAI, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Yum China Holdings, the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut in China, said at its investor day in Shenzhen on Monday that it would continue to aggressively open stores and improve profitability in the coming years.

By 2028, KFC aims to increase its total store count in China by one-third to over 17,000, by which time operating profit would surpass 10 billion yuan ($1.41 billion), Yum China said.

The group would add over 600 net new Pizza Hut stores annually over the next three years and expected to double operating profit in China for the brand by 2029 versus 2024.

($1 = 7.1046 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Casey Hall; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

((Casey.Hall@thomsonreuters.com;))