Tie-ups serve up survival hopes
Restaurant chains IBerry Group and A&W Restaurant, struggling to survive having been battered by the government’s latest partial lockdown measures, have now turned to selling their food items at 7-Eleven convenience stores.
Atchara Burarak, founder and creative director of Iberry Homemade Co (IBerry Group), the operator of restaurant chains such as Iberry, Thongsmith and Ros’niyom, said the company continues to explore every possible new channel through which to sell its food after suffering a huge impact from the government’s multiple restrictions aimed at combatting the surge in new infections.
“After shopping complexes were closed on July 12 following the government’s 14-day lockdown measures in 10 high-risk provinces including Bangkok, only a handful of customers have visited them and daily sales of our food via takeaway channels plunged to only 5%,” said Ms Atchara.
“Apart from the fall in sales, we are shouldering unchanged costs from delivery charges by the online food delivery platforms and rental from some retailers.”
In its best efforts to survive, the company has teamed up with CPRAM Co, a food manufacturer under the Charoen Pokphand Group to produce readyto-eat chilled food under the name “Ros’niyom’,’ a famous street food brand under IBerry Group.
The company has also partnered with CP All Plc, the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores, to sell Ros’niyom chilled food at 5,500 of 7-Eleven’s convenience stores in Bangkok and surrounding areas since July 15.
In an initial step, there are three Ros’niyom chilled foods available at convenience stores including stir-fried Thai minced beef with holy basil and dried chilli served with rice; Australian chuck beef green curry with rice and Australian chuck beef red curry with rice. The price range is set at 69 baht per box. The company expects to sell 10,000 chilled food boxes daily.
As well, Ms Atchara said the firm is also launching new chilled recipes under other brands under the IBerry Group.
“Apart from sales, we see an opportunity to bring our street food to become closer to customers. The popularity of meat consumption in Thailand has significantly increased due to the booming Japanese restaurant business in the country,’’ she said, adding if the consumer response was good over the next 5-6 months, the company and CP All would continue with the cooperation.
In addition to the 7-Eleven convenience stores, Ms Atchara said the firm is also open to collaboration with other retail chains to market its food products to increase its cash flow.
Meanwhile, SET-listed Global Consumer (Glocon), the operator of A&W restaurants, also joined hands with CP All earlier this month to serve three A&W waffle menus — waffle fish & cheese, waffle grilled chicken teriyaki and waffle chicken spicy at 7-Eleven convenience stores.
Initially, the waffle menus will be available at 18 of 7-Eleven’s stores in eight provinces comprising Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Chon Buri, Kanchanaburi and Nakhon Ratchasima.