[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] Riding the wave of the popularity of Hallyu content, Korean food and beverage franchises such as chicken, pizza, snacks, and hamburgers are accelerating their expansion into overseas markets.
According to the franchise industry on the 5th, bhc Chicken opened its first local store and first overseas master franchise store on the 2nd at Retail Park, a shopping center in the Mont Kiara area of Malaysia.
The Malaysia flagship store, with a seating capacity of 62, will be operated by the local food and beverage company Daily Edible.
bhc Chicken previously established a foothold in the overseas market by opening a directly operated store, 'Mong Kok Branch,' in Hong Kong in 2018, and plans to enter Singapore in April next year.
A bhc Chicken official said, “Based on the overseas business know-how gained from operating the Hong Kong directly operated store, we will actively pioneer overseas markets in line with the endemic era. Next year, we plan to accelerate overseas market entry based on Malaysia and Singapore.”
Genesis BBQ Group, which operates about 500 stores in 57 countries worldwide, is intensifying its attack on the Japanese dining market by consecutively opening three stores in Osaka Prefecture and Saitama Prefecture, Japan, following the United States and Taiwan. BBQ opened its 22nd store, Omiya Kadomachi Branch, in July, followed by the 23rd store Elmoriguchi Branch, and in September, the 24th store Sakai Dettocho Branch.
BBQ has been expanding its stores in Japan since 2016. It is analyzed that a K-chicken craze is sweeping Japan due to the Hallyu boom of K-content such as 'Squid Game' and 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo.'
Burger and chicken brand Mom's Touch opened its first store in Thailand on the 31st of last month at a large shopping mall in Bangkok.
A Mom's Touch official said, “Thailand is a country with high chicken consumption, and we expect it to gain great popularity among locals thanks to the popularity of Hallyu content.”
Mom's Touch plans to use Thailand as a foothold for expanding its overseas presence in the ASEAN region.
Not only in Thailand, but last year, it also entered the United States, the home market of burgers, as a master franchise and currently operates two stores in the California area, aiming to open 100 stores in the U.S. by 2025.
Gopizza, which emphasizes 'cost-effectiveness,' started its overseas expansion in India in 2019, entered Singapore and Hong Kong in 2020, and recently began targeting the Indonesian market. It currently operates about 30 stores in five countries, with overseas sales accounting for more than 40% of total sales.
Tteokbokki franchise Dookki is also focusing on the Vietnamese market, with 75 local stores.
An industry official said, “With the popularity of Hallyu content, the status of K-food has risen further worldwide. In line with the endemic era, Korean food and beverage franchise brands will actively pioneer overseas markets.”
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