The President Chain Store Corp (統一超商), which operates the world's third-largest 7-Eleven franchise, formed a venture with Japan's Duskin Co to sell doughnuts in Taiwan.
President Chain and Duskin will each invest NT$100 million (US$3 million) to open Mister Donut Taiwan Co, venture chairman Hsu Chung-jen (徐重仁) said in a press conference in Taipei.
The first store of the venture will open in Taipei in the fourth quarter of this year, and the venture aims to make a profit in as early as three years, he said.
President Chain, a unit of the Uni-President Enterprises Corp (統一企業), operates 7-Eleven shops and Starbucks outlets in Taiwan.
Osaka-based Duskin owns Mis-ter Donut stores in Japan, with 1,319 outlets. It also makes household cleaning products.
Mister Donut Taiwan aims to have 100 stores in three years, either by opening its own outlets or selling franchises, Hsu said.
"The franchise concept is now very common in Taiwan, so we expect franchised doughnut stores to open at a rapid pace, reaching the critical mass with 100 stores," President Chain chairman Kao Ching-yuan (高清愿) said.
Although many major US and Japanese fast-food chains have stores here, doughnut franchises have not been popular.
US giants Dunkin' Donuts no longer has stores here and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts has not entered the market.
RSS