Deal graveyard: S.Korean F&B franchise sales left without takers
Korean food is making waves globally, but back home, the story is different for food and beverage franchise operators. Franchisors in South Korea ar...
BTS’ Suga, MLB star Chan Ho Park to join Oakland Athletics as shareholders
BTS member Suga and former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Chan Ho Park are putting their money on the Athletics, formerly the Oakland Athletics...
Blackstone in talks to acquire Korea’s top salon chain Juno Hair in $590 mn deal
US private equity firm Blackstone Inc. is pursuing the acquisition of Juno Hair, South Korea’s largest premium hair salon chain, in a deal tha...
S.Korean game developer Krafton acquires Japan’s ADK for $517 million
Krafton Inc., a major South Korean game publisher, has acquired Japan's leading advertising and animation group ADK for 75 billion yen ($517 million...
MBK-invested Homeplus looks for new owner as M&A emerges as option
South Korea’s leading hypermarket chain Homeplus Co. is once again up for sale, a decade after private equity firm MBK Partners Ltd. took it p...
Sono Hospitality becomes new owner of Korean budget carrier T’way Air
South Korea’s top resort operator Sono Hospitality Group has emerged as the new owner of budget carrier T’way Air Co. by acquiring ...
KT to sell financial security unit for $59 mn for restructuring
South Korea’s KT Corp. is set to sell Initech Co., its Kosdaq-listed financial security unit, for 85 billion won ($59.1 million) as the leadin...
SPC Samlip to export ggultteok in H1 2025
SPC Samlip Corp., a subsidiary of South Korea’s food and bakery giant SPC Group, said on Monday that its rice cake franchise Bizeun developed ...
Lotte Card Card to launch loans for affiliates in Vietnam
South Korea's Lotte Card said on Monday it will launch loans for affiliates in Vietnam.Lotte Finance Vietnam, the Vietnamese corporation of Lotte Ca...
S.Korea's BBQ enters world's most populous market, India
Genesis BBQ Group, the operator of a popular South Korean fried chicken brand, is expanding its market to South Asia by entering India, the world&rs...
Private debt remains attractive; NPLs rekindle interest
Private debt remains attractive for South Korean pension and big asset owners, although they may offer lower yields than before given recent interes...
UCK Partners advises Korean-style approach for buyout deals
An increasing number of South Korean companies are on the radar of private equity investors as the firms undergo digital transformation and generati...
Activist fund Palliser demands SK Square draw up value-boosting measures
UK-based activist fund Palliser Capital Ltd. is calling on SK Square Co., the investment arm of South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate SK G...
Mom's Touch to enter Laos in 2025
South Korean homegrown burger and chicken brand Mom's Touch & Co. said on Wednesday that it signed a master franchise agreement with Laos-based ...
Korea Zinc, Bain Capital offer $2.4 bn share buyback vs MBK
Korea Zinc Inc. said on Wednesday it will buy back shares for 3.1 trillion won ($2.4 billion) with the backing of Bain Capital to counter MBK Partne...
BBQ Chicken to enter Indonesian market
Genesis BBQ Group, the operator of a popular South Korean fried chicken brand, said on Monday that it signed a master franchise agreement with PT ...
After Mercedes Fire, EV Owners Want to Know What Battery They Have
SEOUL—The uproar over a Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle that burst into flames in South Korea this month wasn’t only about fire...
Tous les Jours to enter Singapore market
CJ Foodville, the food service subsidiary of South Korea's CJ Group and the operator of the bakery chain brand Tous les Jours, announced on Monday t...
Value in the middle market: Smaller size means greater potential
Middle market direct lending can mean different things to different lenders and investors. Many, if not most, would agree that companies with over $...
E-Land Retail to enter convenience store market
South Korea's E-Land Retail, the operator of Kim's Club, NC Department Store, and New Core Outlet operator, plans to enter the convenience store mar...
Tous les Jours to open five stores in Cambodia
Tous les Jours, the bakery brand under South Korea's CJ Foodville, announced on Monday that CJ Foodville signed a master franchise (MF) agreement wi...
Burger, chicken franchises raise prices after elections
Fried chicken and hamburger franchises in South Korea have sharply bumped up their food prices following the parliamentary elections last week as th...
Hollys Coffee goes to Japan as Korean franchises turn gaze abroad
Hollys Coffee, a unit of South Korea’s KG Group, is opening its first overseas outlet in Osaka, Japan, riding on the popularity of Korean cult...
Krafton eyes mega M&A, PUBG franchise deals: Krafton chair
Krafton Inc., South Korea’s gaming behemoth, is gearing up for the second chapter of its business through “mega” M&A deals and...
Mom’s Touch to open first store in Japan
South Korean homegrown burger and chicken brand Mom's Touch & Co. announced on Monday that it will open its first directly managed store Shibuya...
Lotte Insurance's value rises with long-term care expansion
When South Korean private equity firm JKL Partners acquired a 77% stake in Lotte Insurance Co. for about 730 billion won ($546.3 million) in 2019, m...
Hyundai, Kia enjoy renewed popularity of LPG trucks Porter, Bongo
Many economists are trumpeting weak business conditions for the coming months. But an economic slowdown isn’t all that bad for Hyundai Motor C...
Korea’s troubled kimchi fridge maker Winia seeks new owner
Winia Co., South Korea’s troubled kimchi refrigerator manufacturer under court receivership, is looking for a new owner to save the company fr...
Fried chicken chain bhc to enter Thailand in 2024
South Korea’s No. 2 fried chicken brand bhc Group announced on Thursday that it signed a master franchise agreement with Thailand’s Me...
Mom's Touch Tokyo pop-up store visitors exceed 30,000
South Korean homegrown burger and chicken brand Mom's Touch & Co. announced on Friday its pop-up store in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan successfully con...
