Domestic Hamburger Market Worth 4 Trillion Won to Grow Larger

Hamburger stock photo. Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] Competition in the domestic hamburger market is becoming increasingly fierce.

According to Euromonitor on the 11th, the size of the domestic hamburger market is expected to reach 4 trillion won this year. Compared to the domestic hamburger market size of about 2.8 trillion won in 2018, this represents a 42% growth over four years.

Among domestic burger franchises, the one with the most franchise stores is Mom's Touch, operating 1,354 stores nationwide (including 5 directly managed stores). This is followed by Lotteria (1,210 stores), Burger King (440 stores), McDonald's (407 stores), and KFC (187 stores).

No Brand Burger by Shinsegae Food, which entered the market in 2019, is a latecomer but is growing rapidly. As of this date, it operates 183 stores and plans to increase the number to 200 within this year.

Additionally, famous American burger brands such as Five Guys, Super Duper, and Popeyes are preparing to enter the domestic market one after another, making market competition even more intense.

Hanwha Solutions Galleria Division is preparing domestic stores for Five Guys, known as one of the three major American burger brands.

BHC Group has signed a master franchise agreement and will open the first Super Duper store near Gangnam Station in Seoul this month.

NLC, a subsidiary of Shilla Trading, a deep-sea fishing specialist company, is also planning to reintroduce the U.S. hamburger company Popeyes, which had withdrawn from Korea, back into the domestic market in September.

An industry insider said, "Hamburgers are a convenient dining menu with little shape deformation and easy delivery service, making them easy to consume and relatively cheaper than other foods. Recently, the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), which has emerged as the main customer base, is seeking more handmade burgers using healthier ingredients, prompting each company to pay greater attention to ingredient management and strengthen their competitiveness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.