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Tag: fried

  • BHC Chicken: Korean Fried Chicken Giant Sets Sights on Vietnam for Southeast Asian Growth

    BHC Chicken: Korean Fried Chicken Giant Sets Sights on Vietnam for Southeast Asian Growth

    BHC Chicken, a renowned fried chicken brand originating from South Korea, is setting its sights on broadening its reach within Southeast Asia, with plans to launch in Vietnam. This move is part of an ongoing expansion strategy that is rapidly growing the brand’s presence across the region.

    The brand’s parent entity, Dining Brands Group, recently formalized its plans to venture into Vietnam, sealing a master franchise agreement with Singaporean company Hao Open Foods. This strategic partnership is set to facilitate the brand’s launch and consequent operations in Vietnam.

    In terms of expansion, the company has set its sights on major cities within Vietnam, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang. The brand’s ambitious growth plan anticipates the establishment of 50 locations within these cities over the course of the next decade.

    Founded in 2004, BHC Chicken holds a position of prominence among South Korea’s top fried chicken chains. With a robust network of over 2,000 stores, its reach extends beyond the domestic market. The brand has significantly leveraged franchise partnerships to successfully penetrate international markets, with a presence in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

    In addition to its planned expansion into Vietnam, BHC Chicken is also preparing to make its debut in the Philippines later this year, further solidifying its foothold in Southeast Asia.

    Questions & Answers

    What is the expansion plan of BHC Chicken in Vietnam?
    BHC Chicken plans to establish a presence in key Vietnamese cities, with an aim to open 50 locations over the next 10 years.

    Who is BHC Chicken’s franchise partner for its Vietnam launch?
    BHC Chicken is partnering with Singaporean company Hao Open Foods for its expansion into Vietnam.

    Is BHC Chicken planning expansions to other countries?
    Yes, apart from Vietnam, BHC Chicken is reportedly preparing to launch in the Philippines later this year.

  • NY Streetwear Brand Fried Rice Launches Pop-up Store In China, Signifying Asian Market Expansion

    NY Streetwear Brand Fried Rice Launches Pop-up Store In China, Signifying Asian Market Expansion

    Fried Rice, a renowned streetwear brand headquartered in New York, has made its debut in China with a pop-up store. This marks the brand’s initial steps towards expanding its presence in the Asian market.

    A New Venture in Shenzhen

    Strategically located in Shenzhen’s K11 Ecoast, the pop-up store opened its doors on August 30. It will continue its operations for approximately a year until next August, providing customers with the opportunity to experience Fried Rice’s unique offerings firsthand.

    The brand, created by the acclaimed designer Maya Wang, is celebrated globally for its cutting-edge, gender-neutral streetwear line that creatively blends innovative design details with superior fabric quality.

    On discussing the new venture, Wang, who also serves as the brand’s creative director, noted that the collaboration with K11 was a natural progression in Fried Rice’s pursuit of establishing itself in Asia. She added, “Our purpose here is to learn, to collaborate, and to celebrate creative aspirations with the individuals we interact with during this journey. This pop-up is as much about forging personal relationships as it is a shopping destination.”

    Expansion Plans in Asia

    The brand views the store’s launch as a strategic move, providing a firm base for their projected expansion across the Asian market. The central focus of this expansion is to build strong ties with regional creative communities that share the brand’s vision and values.

    Currently, Fried Rice is exploring numerous growth avenues within the region, including distribution, live retail broadcasting, and retail licensing partnership opportunities. For its initial endeavors, the brand is primarily targeting markets in Japan, China, and South Korea.

    Fried Rice has also announced plans for a pop-up store in Tokyo next year. Additionally, the brand aims to mark its presence at the third consecutive Asia ComplexCon in Hong Kong in the early part of the coming year.

    Questions & Answers

    What is the brand Fried Rice known for?
    Fried Rice is a New York-based streetwear brand recognized for its innovative, gender-neutral clothing collections that feature creative design elements and high-quality materials.

    What is the focus of Fried Rice’s expansion in Asia?
    Fried Rice intends to connect with local creative communities that align with its brand values as part of its expansion in Asia. The brand is also exploring opportunities in distribution, live retail broadcasting, and retail licensing partnerships.

    What are some of Fried Rice’s upcoming plans in Asia?
    In addition to the recently launched pop-up store in Shenzhen, Fried Rice has plans for a Tokyo pop-up store the following year. The brand will also participate in its third consecutive Asia ComplexCon in Hong Kong early next year.

  • Yum China Unveils ‘Fried Chicken Brothers’: A New Twist On Fast-food With Chinese And Korean Flavors

    Yum China Unveils ‘Fried Chicken Brothers’: A New Twist On Fast-food With Chinese And Korean Flavors

    Yum China, KFC’s operator in the country, has discreetly introduced a fresh pilot concept by the name of Fried Chicken Brothers, further diversifying its localized sub-brands.

    The pilot currently runs two compact stores in Shanghai, each approximately 20sqm in size, with a particular focus on takeaway and delivery services.

    The innovative brand presents two unique culinary adventures. One specializes in Chinese-style fried chicken, while the other embraces the distinct flavors of Korean-style fried chicken.

    The Chinese menu features dishes inspired by regional flavors, such as chicken spiced with Litsea cubeba, crispy chicken skin paired with chili, and chicken racks with a unique taste of Yanbian barbecue kimchi. The Korean-style shop, on the other hand, emphasizes boneless fried chicken, served with an array of bold sauces including creamy cheese, amber sweet and spicy, and honey mustard sauces.

    Based on user reviews, the average spending per person is estimated around 30 RMB (approximately US$4.12), positioning Fried Chicken Brothers as a cost-effective and flavor-rich alternative in the fast-food fried chicken market.

    This new addition expands Yum China’s increasing portfolio of KFC sub-brands in the country, which further includes KCoffee and Kpro. This move aligns with the company’s broader strategy of diversifying its offerings to cater to younger consumers and adapt to the ever-changing local tastes.

    Questions & Answers

    What is Yum China’s new pilot concept?
    Yum China has introduced a new pilot concept called Fried Chicken Brothers, which offers Chinese and Korean-style fried chicken.

    What does the Fried Chicken Brothers menu offer?
    The menu offers two distinct culinary experiences. The Chinese-style menu features dishes like Litsea cubeba-spiced chicken and Yanbian barbecue kimchi-flavoured chicken racks. The Korean-style menu focuses on boneless fried chicken with a variety of sauces.

    What is the positioning of Fried Chicken Brothers in the market?
    As per user reviews, the average spending per person is around 30 RMB (US$4.12), thus positioning Fried Chicken Brothers as an affordable and flavor-rich alternative in the fast-food fried chicken market.

  • Heinz Unveils Novel Fried Chicken Sauce In Partnership With Gami Chicken

    Heinz Unveils Novel Fried Chicken Sauce In Partnership With Gami Chicken

    Heinz has recently launched their novel Fried Chicken Sauce, which is now available in supermarkets and for a brief duration, through a partnership with the popular Korean fried chicken outlet, Gami Chicken.

    A New Addition to the Condiment Aisle

    The newly introduced sauce is characterized by its bold, creamy, sweet, and spicy flavor, specially crafted to enhance the taste of fried chicken. This addition to the condiment selection is expected to bring a distinctive flavor profile to the dining table.

    Partnership with Gami Chicken

    In conjunction with the sauce’s debut, Heinz established a collaboration with Gami Chicken restaurants in Victoria, NSW, SA, and WA. For a limited period, patrons have the option to order a combo meal that includes boneless fried chicken, chips, and the new Heinz Fried Chicken Sauce.

    Jun Lee, the founder of Gami Chicken, spoke highly of the latest product. In his words, the new sauce from Heinz was a standout in a saturated market and has been a pleasant surprise in taste and quality. Lee also expressed his excitement to be involved in a launch that celebrates bold and delicious flavors.

    Availability and Pricing

    Heinz Fried Chicken Sauce retails for an RRP of $4.80 for a 295ml bottle and is currently available at Coles. The distribution of the product will broaden to include Woolworths and Metcash stores from September 29 onwards.

    Questions & Answers

    What is the flavour profile of the new Heinz Fried Chicken Sauce?
    The sauce has a unique combination of bold, creamy, sweet, and spicy flavours.

    Where can consumers find Heinz’s new Fried Chicken Sauce?
    The sauce is currently available at Coles and will soon be distributed to Woolworths and Metcash stores from September 29.

    What does the limited-time partnership with Gami Chicken entail?
    As part of the partnership, for a limited time, customers at Gami Chicken restaurants can order a combo meal that includes boneless fried chicken, chips, and the new Heinz Fried Chicken Sauce.

  • CJ Foods Launches Locally-sourced Bibigo Korean-style Fried Chicken In Australia

    CJ Foods Launches Locally-sourced Bibigo Korean-style Fried Chicken In Australia

    CJ Foods Oceania, a division of the international CJ Group, has introduced its Bibigo Korean-Style Fried Chicken line, produced and procured locally in Australia.

    New Korean-Inspired Chicken Range Launched

    The Bibigo Korean-Style Fried Chicken range boasts two enticing flavours: ‘Sweet & Spicy’ and ‘Soy & Honey’. Nationwide sourced whole chicken breast cuts form the heart of this product line, which are then coated with a light, crispy batter.

    Convenient and Quick Preparation

    Each product comes with a separate sauce pack for easy and quick preparation, providing options for oven-cooking or air-frying. This launch is a continuation of the company’s introduction of other frozen food items, such as Mandu (Korean dumplings), Gimbap (Seaweed rice rolls), Rice balls, Bao (Chinese steamed buns), Soup Mandu (Soup dumplings), and Seaweed Chips.

    A Taste for Authentic International Flavours

    Eugene Cha-Navarro, Managing Director and CEO of CJ Foods Oceania, noted Australia’s well-developed taste for bold, internationally influenced flavours and its ongoing preference for traditional Korean cuisine. “Our focus is not solely on packaging, but also on sourcing local ingredients, understanding local tastes, and cultivating relationships with Australian farmers and producers,” he added.

    The Bibigo Korean-Style Fried Chicken range is now available nationally across Woolworths and will be available from IGA starting from mid-August.

    Questions & Answers

    What flavours does the Bibigo Korean-Style Fried Chicken range offer?
    The range currently offers two flavours, ‘Sweet & Spicy’ and ‘Soy & Honey’.

    How can the product be prepared?
    The product comes with a separate sauce pack for quick and easy preparation, including options for oven-cooking or air-frying.

    Where can the Bibigo Korean-Style Fried Chicken range be purchased?
    The range is available nationally across Woolworths outlets and will be available in IGA stores from mid-August.

  • KFC operator Collins Foods breaks $1 billion sales threshold

    KFC operator Collins Foods breaks $1 billion sales threshold

    The boss of major KFC franchisor in Australia, Collins Foods, still believes that the company’s quick-service Mexican food business Taco Bell can succeed in the Australian market despite the brand’s results hitting the group’s full-year profits.

    Revenue at Collins Foods was up 14.2 percent to $1.3 billion in the 12 months to April 30. KFC stores hit $1 billion in revenue for the first time, but the company’s net profit declined by 76.7 per cent to $12.7 million.

    A $36.7 million impairment against the Taco Bell business impacted the results, with Taco Bell stores posting a same-store sales decline of 4.8 percent for the year.

    Collins Foods’ shares surged 16.7 percent to $9.17 in late afternoon trade on Tuesday despite the drop in net profit for the year, with analysts saying the strength of KFC sales was impressive and the outlook for the group’s brands was positive.

    UBS analysts said the numbers were stronger than expected, with a key surprise being the strength of the company’s growth and earnings margins in Europe.

    Australia’s quick-service Mexican food market has become increasingly crowded over the past few years, with brands like Guzman y Gomez growing strongly, but Collins Foods chief executive Drew O’Malley said there was still a place for Taco Bell in the Australian market.

    “New brands can take time to gain traction. We have seen similar trends in other markets in the early years, where the brand [Taco Bell] is now thriving today,” he said.

    But the company acknowledges that it has had to invest in “enhancements to product quality” to bring more Australian consumers into Taco Bell stores.

    O’Malley said one key area of recent investment been in the quality of the brand’s chips.

    “One of my favorite examples is on French fries – we had gotten a number of complaints from our customers around chips being soggy. We have very recently launched an ultra-premium, sure-crisp French fry with McCain,” he said.

    “We have seen an immediate change in customer perception … Especially since we do so much customer delivery, we think that’s really important for the brand.”

    Collins Foods pointed to sustained inflationary pressures when releasing its full-year numbers on Tuesday, and O’Malley said the impacts of rising input costs is expected to be felt into next year.

    But he was upbeat about the value position of KFC in the current economic environment, saying customers view the fast food retailer as providing the best value in the market.

    “If you look at the consumer today, it’s like 12 straight rate increases, [which] has meant 12 straight letters from your bank saying your mortgage is going up. We are very sensitive to that, and we want to make sure our brands excel at a time like this,” he said.

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  • Top fried chicken restaurant chains post growth

    Top fried chicken restaurant chains post growth

    Vietnam’s three most popular fried chicken restaurant chains earned combined revenues of VND4.3 trillion ($185.5 million) last year, up more than 11 percent year-on-year. South Korean brand Lotteria recorded the highest revenues at VND1.68 trillion ($72.5 million), up nearly 8 percent year-on-year. It has the highest number of outlets in Vietnam at over 210 in more than 30 localities.

    Lotteria’s performance was an improvement with over the 2 percent growth rate recorded in 2018 and 2017, but smaller than the double-digit rate it enjoyed from 2014-2016.

    It was followed by American brand KFC with revenues of nearly VND1.5 trillion ($64.3 million), up 1.3 percent year-on-year. In 2018 and 2017 its growth rate was 7.5 and 18.3 percent respectively.

    KFC, the earliest of the three to enter Vietnam, has over 140 outlets in 32 localities. In third place, with revenues of VND1.1 trillion, was a Filipino brand Jollibee. With over 100 outlets, Jollibee posted the highest growth of the three at over 40 percent year-on-year.

    In the last three years, its annual growth rate has averaged over 37 percent, several times that of KFC and Lotteria. But of the three chains, only KFC posted a pre-tax profit of VND102 billion last year, its fourth consecutive profit-making year.

    Both Lotteria and Jollibee have been reporting losses in the last five years. Last year, the two chains reported losses of VND22 billion and VND10 billion, respectively.

    Market observers have attributed the slower growth of fast-food chains in recent years to changing eating habits among the Vietnamese, who are prioritizing health over convenience.

    Market research firm Nielsen had said earlier in a report that there was an increasing percentage of Vietnamese identifying health as a sign of success instead of richness. The rising number of food contamination cases and environmental issues have also prompted people to care more about health issues, it said.

    In 2018, there were 7,000 fast food outlets in Vietnam, a relatively insignificant number considering there are around 540,000 food and beverage businesses comprised of 430,000 street vendors, 80,000 restaurants, and 22,000 cafes and bars, according to Dcorp R- Keeper, a global company which provides technological solutions to food and beverage businesses.

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  • Jollibee Sets Up Shop in Manhattan, NY

    Jollibee Sets Up Shop in Manhattan, NY

    Fried chicken fans in New York City will have another option to crow about, as Philippines-based restaurant chain Jollibee will open its first location in Manhattan later this month. Of course, the menu at Jollibee doesn’t stop at its Chickenjoy, as it encompasses an eclectic range of dishes from Jolly Spaghetti topped with a sweet sauce along with pieces of ham and hot dog, to burgers, Spam sandwiches, and desserts like halo halo and Peach Mango Pie.

    For the unfamiliar, Jollibee is the largest fast food chain in the Phillipines, with more than 1,000 stores, and another 200 locations worldwide. Jollibee’s U.S. operation spans ten states and 36 locations, with the Manhattan outpost bringing that total to 37. Additionally, the chain recently cut the ribbon on two new storefronts in the Toronto area, which both saw lines around the block for their grand openings. Jollibee was even featured on Parts Unknown when Anthony Bourdain visited in Los Angeles with Roy Choi and later on his own in Manila when he referred to it as “the wackiest, jolliest place on earth.”

    “We are excited to finally open our doors in the heart of bustling Manhattan, which is not just a center of business and finance, but a major cultural and entertainment hub that receives millions of visitors from around the world each year,” Jose Miñana, Jollibee Foods Corporation’s Group President for North America, said in a statement. “The diversity of the food culture and the fast pace of living here make it perfect for our new Jollibee store location.”

    Jollibee also happens to be celebrating its 40th anniversary, which means there’s an added bonus for some lucky New Yorkers: The first 40 people in line at the opening will get free Chickenjoy for a year. Additionally, a Jollibee Funko Pop! figure and other collectibles will be available.

    New York City already has a Jollibee located in Woodside, Queens, but as most of the thinking goes in New York, you haven’t made it until you’ve made it in Manhattan.

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