Mr. Pizza eyes 25 outlets within 5 years

Foodland Supermarket Co is expanding its food empire by adding Mr. Pizza, a leading South Korean pizza brand, amid low consumer purchasing power.

The first Mr. Pizza restaurant was recently opened opposite Foodland supermarket at The Street community mall on Ratchadaphisek Road.

The pizza restaurant chain is operated by Mr. Pizza Thailand Co, a joint venture between Foodland, which holds a 75% stake, and Mr. Pizza Inc from South Korea, which holds the remaining 25%.

Atipol Terahsongkran, the elder son of Foodland’s founder Somsak Teraphatanakul, said he was not initially interested in the pizza business because the Thai market was fiercely competitive.

But after he was approached by his friend, who spelt out the concept of Mr. Pizza, Mr Atipol liked it and convinced his father to enter the pizza business. Mr Somsak then flew to South Korea to test the pizzas himself.

“I very much appreciated the taste of the pizza, which was made with fresh dough. Also, Mr. Pizza has a business vision similar to Foodland regarding product quality and service. That’s why I decided to bring it to Thailand,” Mr Somsak recalled.

With a wealth of experience in the food business, he chose the joint venture scheme because of the lower business risk.

The venture spent 12-15 million baht to open the first Mr. Pizza branch in Bangkok.

Two new restaurants will be opened soon at the Promenade next door to Fashion Island and at Terminal 21’s Nakhon Ratchasima branch later this year.

Under the agreement, the venture plans to have 25 Mr Pizza restaurants within the next five years. The company will open about five of its own Mr. Pizza flagship stores before expanding its business on a franchise basis.

The price of Mr. Pizza ranges from 350700 baht depending on toppings and other factors, with middle-income customers in mind as the target customers.

“Many people say that our pizza is more expensive than the others. But they are won over by the taste after trying it,” said Mr Somsak.

There are around 800 Mr. Pizza restaurants worldwide, of which 700 branches are in South Korea.

The remaining 100 outlets are in international markets such as China, the US, and the Philippines.

The first Mr. Pizza restaurant is located opposite Foodland Supermarket in The Street community mall on Ratchadapisek road. Two new branches will open later this year.