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| MPK Group Chairman Jung Woo-hyun |
A "Pizza War" is intensifying with the head of Mr. Pizza saying the local brand is confident of overtaking well-known overseas brands including Pizza Hut by expanding its product lineup according to markets.
"My ultimate goal is to make Mr. Pizza the world's No.1 pizza brand," Mr. Pizza Korea (MPK) Group Chairman Jung Woo-hyun told The Korea Times in a recent interview.
Founded by Jung, MPK owns Mr. Pizza and bakery chain Manoffin. "Everything is going smoothly. To that end, I will do everything I can."
The 66-year-old CEO pointed out that Pizza Hut dominates the global market. But he expressed confidence that Mr. Pizza will end up overtaking the American chain.
"Pizza Hut has long been regarded as the undisputed No.1 pizza brand around the globe. But I think such an unchallenged leadership has eventually put the company in jeopardy," he said. "It is already a distant runner-up in Korea. The American brand is also quickly losing market share in China, while Mr. Pizza is sort of a rising star."
Mr. Pizza is well-known for having a light taste. This has been the pizza of choice due to the different needs from different eating habits in countries.
Citing such a business philosophy, the executive stressed that the brand's core competitiveness lies in "trustworthiness" when it comes to the cooking process and taste.
"First of all, a pizza should be tasty. Another important factor to succeed is that pizza should be made from clean and healthy ingredients and should also be cooked in a clean environment," he said. "We are making all-out effort to meet them all."
To win people's confidence, Mr. Pizza restaurants have open kitchens so customers can monitor what's happening through a wide window.
"This was a crucial role in winning the confidence of Chinese customers, who are extremely sensitive to food safety following a series of contaminated food scandals in recent years," Jung said.
Global expansion
The executive said Mr. Pizza has been consistent in bolstering its profile in target markets such as China and in strengthening its customer policy to better compete with existing brands in countries that the company is targeting.
Even though Pizza Hut is the leader in the sector, there are a lot of local pizzerias that are quite successful and unique. Their distinction from the larger chains is their own recipes that create popular demand.
He said good service and hospitality have also contributed to its recent meteoric rises.
"The average monthly sales of Mr. Pizza's Chinese outlets are estimated at 130 million won ($118,260), nearly double the Korean outlets' 60-70 million won," he pointed out.
Mr. Pizza was the sole foreign restaurant among the top 50 restaurant brands in China selected in 2009 by the country's biggest restaurant review website, Dianping.
The executive said the brand will increase the number of its stores outside the Korean Peninsula.
Recently, it formed a strategic partnership with Malaysian conglomerate Ye Chiu to make inroads into Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The company also plans to tap into India next year and the Middle East in the near future.
Mr. Pizza has 435 outlets in Korea, three in the United States and 60 in China, mostly Beijing, Shanghai and other affluent cities. The company aims to run 1,000 Mr. Pizza outlets across China by 2017.
"We will operate more than 5,000 outlets there in the long run."
The chairman said he will have MPK listed in China and Southeast Asian countries to collect the capital needed to push forward with his ambitious globalization project. The company is listed in Korea's small-cap KOSDAQ Index.
"Listing the company is thought to be essential to propel our globalization," he said.
Meanwhile, the chairman didn't rule out the possibility of taking over companies at home and abroad, regardless of business sector, if it's deemed helpful in ensuring sustainable growth.
He said Mr. Pizza will open its first store in India during the first quarter of next year and stressed it plans to open up stores in the Middle East, soon after.
The chairman said he had discovered no potential risk that may disrupt the company's rapid growth. Instead, an increasing number of single-person households and the low birthrate will fuel its growth, he said.
"We've grabbed growth momentum after making thorough preparations for more than a decade. We have had a long waiting time. It's time to dash forward ㅡ ferociously."
Born in 1948, Jung opened the first Mr. Pizza store in 1990 near Ewha Womans University in northwestern Seoul and made it Korea's biggest pizza restaurant chain in 2008.
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