Dunkin' Donuts, the 10th-biggest US chain, will open its first store in Taiwan today, providing a wide variety of donuts, beverages and sandwiches to compete head-on with its Japanese counterpart Mister Donut.
Relying on its local partner Mercuries and Associates Ltd's (
The US firm runs over 1,400 Dunkin' Donuts in Asia, including 500 in the Philippines, 400 in Korea, 250 in Indonesia and close to 200 in Thailand. It expressed optimism that the famous brand will soon have a strong presence in the local market.
PHOTO: YANG YA-MIN, TAIPEI TIMES
"Taiwan is a great target market for our Greater China strategy. People here are good at accepting Western brands," Pavese said following a press conference in Taipei yesterday.
Following only six months of negotiations, Mercuries and Associates -- which also owns the beef noodle chain Sanshang Chiaofu (三商巧福), Napoli pizza and Japanese restaurant Tonkatsu (福勝亭) -- secured a 20-year franchise right, including expansion in China.
Andrew Chang (
"With different combinations of coffee, donuts, bagels, croissants and bread, we aim to snatch a market share in the leisure food and beverage market, including breakfast," Chang said, adding that most of its branches will operate between 7am and 10pm.
Different from Mister Donut, which has kitchens in every store, Dunkin' Donuts cuts production costs through regional factories, allowing it to offer products at a lower price than its competitors.
Its first factory in Shenkeng (
The nation's coffee and bakery market has become extremely competitive, with leading players like Starbucks, Mister Donut and the cafe and bakery chain 85°C (美食達人) battling for market dominance.
Mister Donut, which entered the local market in October 2004, has expanded to 16 stores and plans to have 40 stores by the end of this year.
"What differentiates us from the competition is that donuts are the major focus in our shops and we prioritize sophisticated flavors and high-quality products," said Ting Hui-ling (丁慧玲), a public relations specialist for Mister Donut Taiwan Co (統一多拿滋), which offers as many as 50 donut flavors.
Mister Donut sold 18.78 million donuts last year, with total revenues expected to reach NT$595 million, statistics showed.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
Taiwan is open to joining a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) program if one is created, but on the condition that countries provide delivery even in a scenario where there is a conflict with China, an energy department official said yesterday. While Taiwan’s priority is to have enough LNG at home, the nation is open to exploring potential strategic reserves in other countries such as Japan or South Korea, Energy Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said. While the LNG market does not have a global reserve for emergencies like that of oil, the concept has been raised a few times —
RSS