Wendy’s Japan customers lining up for last meal!

We read about Wendy’s leaving Japan and now it is the time. Hundreds of fans were there for a last chance to taste the little girl’s burger…

Wendy’s closes its doors in Japan today after almost 30 years as queues spill onto the sidewalk at some of the hamburger chain’s 71 restaurants.

Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc., the third-largest U.S. fast-food restaurant company, was unable to renew a franchise agreement with Tokyo-based Zensho Co. this month. The Atlanta-based company hasn’t ruled out re-entering the world’s second-largest economy if it finds a suitable new partner.

Sales at fast-food restaurants grew 3.1 percent in Japan last year, bucking the 0.8 percent drop in the overall dining industry, according to market researcher Fuji Keizai Co. Consumers, facing bleaker job prospects and falling wages, are seeking budget options, spurring sales for the local chains of McDonald’s and KFC.

“Fast-food sales do well in tough times,” said Koichi Ogawa, chief portfolio manager at Daiwa SB Investments Ltd. in Tokyo. “People want to spend less on meals.”

Zensho said it decided not to renew the Wendy’s contract to concentrate on its other chains, which include the Sukiya beef- bowl brand.

“There is significant long-term potential for Wendy’s/Arby’s Group restaurants in Japan,” Andy Skehan, a senior vice president of the company’s international unit, said in a Dec. 10 statement. “We intend to pursue new development opportunities in the country with new franchisees or joint venture partners.”

Wendy’s, Japan’s seventh-largest burger chain, has been busy since the closure was announced Dec. 10, Zensho spokesman Naoki Fujita said, without providing sales data.

Final Chance

Miho Miyazawa, who works at a bookstore, was one of dozens of customers queuing this week for a final taste of a Wendy’s hamburger at the chain’s store in Tokyo’s Ginza district.

“It’s my last chance,” said Miyazawa, 29. “Wendy’s is my favorite because it tastes good.”

Wendy’s had sales of 6.2 billion yen ($67 million) for the year ended March 31 in Japan, accounting for 2 percent of Zensho’s sales of 310 billion yen.

The burger chain entered Japan in 1980 under an agreement with supermarket operator Daiei Inc. Zensho took over the franchise agreement in 2002.

McDonald’s Holdings Co. (Japan) and Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan Ltd. increased sales at stores open at least a year in eight of the past 11 months.

Burger King Holdings Inc., the second-biggest U.S. hamburger chain disappeared from Japan for six years before reopening in 2007 under an agreement with a venture between Lotte Co. and Revamp Corp.

Hayato Yoshida, a 25-year-old employee at an advertising company in Tokyo, will be ready if Wendy’s makes a similar return to Japan.

“If it’s going to open again, I will definitely go for chili cheese fries,” he said at the Ginza outlet.

Source: Bloomberg / Japan Today

It is good to know there are many Wendy’s fans in Japan…Maybe They will do something about it and returns someday.

Tweet This Post

Related posts:

1. Sayonara Wendy’s Japan!
2. Japan Illegal Anime Uploaders ARRESTED!
3. Japan TV stations cutting costs…New faces may arrive!
4. Manga Library opens at Japan University!
5. Burger King Japan sells Windows 7 Whoppers!