Yoma Strategic set to bring Auntie Anne’s pretzel franchise to Myanmar

Yoma Strategic Holdings Ltd and Auntie Anne’s parent company, Focus Brands Inc, have inked a franchi…

Yoma Strategic Holdings Ltd and Auntie Anne’s parent company, Focus Brands Inc, have inked a franchise agreement to bring Auntie Anne’s, the world’s largest hand-rolled soft pretzel franchise, to Myanmar. The Asian country’s first Auntie Anne’s outlet is scheduled to open in Yangon in the coming months, with more ambitious expansion planned over the next five years.

Auntie Anne’s is an iconic global brand which is known for producing handmade baked goods from scratch in open in-store kitchens. Originating in Pennsylvania, USA, the brand recently celebrated 30 years of operations, and currently has over 1,800 outlets in 30 countries, including 600-plus locations outside of the United States.

With its commitment to freshly baked snacks which can be eaten anytime, anywhere, Auntie Anne’s has established a strong presence in Asia, gaining popularity in markets such as Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, China and South Korea.

Melvyn Pun, chief executive officer, Yoma Strategic, said, “We are seeing considerable growth in the market for freshly-baked goods. While many street vendors do offer traditional Myanmar alternatives, the addition of an iconic international brand will only enrich the local foodscape. It is also a big opportunity for a global brand to come in and offer consumers an exciting new twist on the current offerings in this sector.”

Selected after an in-depth study on the dining preferences of consumers in Myanmar, Auntie Anne’s joins KFC and Little Sheep Hotpot in Yoma F&B’s expanding franchise portfolio. The entry of Auntie Anne’s also marks Yoma F&B’s first step into the freshly baked goods market, a move in line with the group’s goal of creating a nationwide, multi-sector F&B platform. Yoma F&B is targeting the shifting consumption patterns and the rising discretionary disposable income of Myanmar’s expanding middle class, a group forecast to reach 10 million by 2022.

“We have put significant effort into researching suitable F&B concepts and identified Auntie Anne’s as an excellent complement to our existing brand portfolio, which currently consists of 26 KFC stores and Little Sheep Hotpot, which will be launched soon. We will continue to accelerate expansion in the F&B sector, and aim to have six international and local brands offering quality and value across 125 outlets by FY2023,” added Pun.

Ken Chen, senior vice-president and managing director, Asia Pacific, Focus Brands, said, “We are very excited to continue Auntie Anne’s footprint expansion in Asia and bring freshly baked, hand-rolled pretzels to Myanmar.”

Myanmar consumers can look forward to classic Auntie Anne’s favourites, such as the Original Pretzel, the Sweet Almond Pretzel, the Pretzel Dog and freshly-squeezed lemonade. All Auntie Anne’s pretzels will be hand-twisted and freshly baked in the store.