Gourmet Master Co Ltd (美食達人), best known for its coffee shop and bakery chain 85oC (85度C), yesterday said sales last month rose 4.2 percent to NT$1.95 billion (US$59.83 million) from August.
Aggregate sales in the first nine months of the year increased by 15 percent annually to NT$15 billion, of which 71 percent were from the company’s operations in China, the company said in a statement.
The company said that sales in China during the January-to-September period grew 11 percent annually, boosted by effective marketing campaigns and tie-ins with popular TV dramas.
In Taiwan, per-store profitability has begun showing improvement as the company continues to renovate its 85oC stores. Last month alone, the company renovated 20 stores, bringing the number of revamped 85oC locations this year to 90.
In the US market, the company opened its 16th location — in Berkeley — expanding its presence in California to four stores.
Meanwhile, Wowprime Corp (王品), the nation’s largest restaurant chain operator, yesterday said its sales last month dropped 23.78 percent month-on-month and 7.26 percent year-on-year to NT$1.25 billion.
Aggregate sales in the first nine months reached NT$12.89 billion, down 1.22 percent year-on-year, with sales in Taiwan operations falling by 13.63 percent to NT$7.95 billion and those in China expanding 28.46 percent to NT$4.94 billion.
Beginning this month, Wowprime said it began revamping a number of its brands in Taiwan and expects new autumn season menus to boosting per-store sales, without elaborating.
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