SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — SPC Group, a South Korean food and beverage company, said Monday its bakery brand Paris Baguette has opened its first outlet in Hawaii in its global expansion strategy. Paris Baguette has opened the Bishop Street outlet, the first in Hawaii and 160th in the United States, in Honolulu, the [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s producer prices rose for the second consecutive month in January, driven in part by soaring prices in agricultural goods and service fees, central bank data showed Wednesday. The producer price index, a major barometer of consumer inflation, increased 0.5 percent in January from a month earlier, following [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – The aftermath of the so-called “Table Tennis Gate” incident, involving a physical altercation between players of the Korean national football team ahead of the Asian Cup semi-finals, is now affecting the retail sector. The controversy centers around Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, whose affiliations with different brands have led to [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 20 (Korea Bizwire) –Shinsegae Department Store’s newly opened dessert specialty zone, “Sweet Park,” at its Gangnam branch, has become a sensation, attracting 100,000 visitors during its first weekend alone. Since its launch on February 15, dessert sales at the Gangnam branch surged by 204% compared to the same period last year, from February [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — A fried chicken franchise, bhc chicken, has been under fire for raising prices of its menu items, while changing part of its chicken ingredients to cheaper ones from Brazil, according to a consumer advocacy group Monday. The franchise had used chicken produced in South Korea but decided to change [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean chicken franchise Genesis BBQ said Friday it has opened its second overseas delivery and pickup outlet in Vietnam to establish a presence in the local food delivery market. The BBQ Smart Kitchen store in Hanoi only serves fried chicken and beverages for carryout and delivery. It is [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 15 (Korea Bizwire) – In an era marked by high inflation, consumers are increasingly seeking value for their money, leading to a significant surge in sales for budget coffee franchises last year. According to NH Nonghyup Card, these affordable coffee chains, including Mega Coffee, Paik Dabang, Compose Coffee, and Mammoth Coffee, witnessed a 37% [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea boasted the fourth-largest number of Starbucks outlets globally as of last year, driven by robust demand from local consumers. According to data released Monday by the U.S. coffee giant, South Korea had 1,893 Starbucks stores in 2023, marking an increase of 116 from the previous year. Despite [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Korea Bizwire) – Shin Ramyun was the bestselling instant noodles in South Korea last year and Saeukkang was the top selling snack, data showed Sunday. Retail sales of Shin Ramyun of Nongshim, available in both packaged and cup noodle forms, amounted to 383.6 billion won (US$287.8 million) last year, topping the list [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Korea Bizwire) – Exports of soju, distilled Korean liquor, topped US$100 million for the first time in 10 years in 2023, data showed Saturday. According to the Korea Customs Service, outbound shipments of soju reached $101.4 million in 2023, an increase of 8.7 percent from 2022. The last time soju exports surpassed [...]