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| Caffe Bene CEO Kim Sun-kwon, left, shakes hands with Jakkaphong Suteestarpon, CEO of JKN Bene, after signing a master franchise agreement at the company's headquarters in Seoul, Sunday. / Courtesy of Caffe Bene |
By Cho Jae-hyon
Caffe Bene, a local coffee chain, has unveiled a plan to enter Thailand and Laos by signing master franchise agreements with Thailand's largest media company JKN Global Media Group, the company said Sunday.
Caffe Bene newly established the JKN Bene in partnership with the JKN Global to open stores in the capitals of the two countries.
The signing ceremony for the master franchise agreement took place at Caffe Bene headquarters. On hand at the ceremony were Jakkaphong Suteestarpon, CEO of JKN Bene, along with 50 staff from Thailand.
The agreement was signed with the active support of KOTRA. Caffe Bene plans to advance into seven other countries in Southeast Asia.
JKN Global, established in 1987, is the largest media group in Thailand that imports popular content from abroad, including the United Kingdom's BBC and Canada's TLC, and broadcasts this through public TV and satellite/cable channels.
In particular, it plays a leading role in promoting "hallyu" or Korean Wave content through diverse channels in Thailand, based on its ownership of the licensing rights to Korean dramas and films.
Thailand has developed its restaurant franchise industry to account for more than 50 percent of all franchises in the country. Particularly, with the influence of Korean dramas, Thai people have become highly interested in Korean food and dessert culture.
"Caffe Bene will make every effort to incorporate differentiated strategies in Thailand and Laos, respectively, as both countries have totally different market characteristics," an official at Caffe Bene said.
Thailand's franchise market is growing rapidly, whereas that of Laos is in the early stages of development.
Caffe Bene plans to be a pioneer in Laos market with the opening of its first store in Vientiane soon. With the establishment of the first store in Thailand, Laos, Singapore, and Brunei, in the first half of this year, Caffe Bene plans to open 140 outlets in Southeast Asia by 2017.
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