Chicken franchise sales rise

Sales of major chicken franchises rose in 2017 from the previous year amid a growing number of affiliated outlets going out of business due to intense competition, industry sources said Tuesday.

Fried chicken and beer, called “chimaek” in Korea, is one of the most popular meals in the country along with soju and grilled pork belly.

Kyochon, the biggest franchise, posted a 9.5 percent increase to 318.8 won ($301 million) in sales last year from a year earlier.

BHC witnessed a 2.8 percent surge to 239.1 billion won, followed by BBQ at 235.3 billion won, up 7.1 percent year-on-year.

Operating profits of the three biggest chicken franchises are estimated at 6 percent to 9 percent of sales.

The number of stores affiliated with Kyochon rose to 1,038 as of the end of last year from 1,017 a year earlier.