Canadian coffee brand ‘Tim Hortons’ opens its third store in Korea and its first in the Gangbuk area of Seoul.
According to the distribution industry on the 29th, Tim Hortons will open its third store on the first floor of the ‘Grand Central’ building near Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. Following Gangnam in Seoul, the company is expanding into the Gangbuk region and is expanding its stores nationwide.
This is the first time that Tim Hortons is opening a store outside of Gangnam, Seoul, where the Shinnonhyeon Station branch and Seolleung Station branch are located. The third store is scheduled to open on January 16th next year.
The store concept has not been decided yet. A Tim Hortons official said, “It is difficult to say anything definitively because it is still under construction and not completed.”
Through a media session event on the 12th of this month, Tim Hortons announced a localization strategy tailored to the Korean market while maintaining originality. At the same time, the company announced plans to open 150 stores within five years.
Tim Hortons’ originality is realized through the quality and taste of its coffee beans. According to Tim Hortons, the company said it is thoroughly managing its coffee beans, including excluding one out of 10 sub-container coffee beans from sourcing.
We also paid attention to localization. Melt is a warm sandwich that is Tim Horton’s signature category that was first introduced in Korea. It is characterized by its freshness, prepared immediately after ordering.
Three menus have been developed and presented for the Korean market, including the signature Maple Cheese Melt, Maple Ham and Cheese Melt, and Creamy Spicy Chicken Melt with chicken and spicy Srimayo sauce.
Tim Hortons’ new global design concept, ‘Warm Welcoming’, was also applied for the second time in the world.
Tim Hortons Shinnonhyeon Station branch, Korea’s first branch and flagship directly managed store, is 333㎡ in size and has a high floor height, giving an open feeling.
Tim Hortons said, “Korea, a dynamic country with a lot of cultural influence around the world, is one of the most competitive, developing and vibrant coffee markets,” and added, “We will do our best to provide fresh coffee and food menus.”
Meanwhile, Tim Hortons is a mid- to low-priced coffee brand in Canada with ‘cost-effective’ coffee. However, in accordance with the strategy to build a premium image in Korea, the prices of black coffee in Korean stores were set up to twice as high.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.