California-based Wetzel's Pretzels has announced the opening of the company's first Asia location, at the Ario Kameari Mall in Tokyo. The company's pretzels, Wetzel Dogs, lemonade and other offerings are featured at the new location.
The location has quickly become Wetzel's Pretzels' highest-volume store in the world.
To launch the first Asia-based Wetzel's Pretzels, the company partnered with master franchisee Takafumi Kawasaki, a veteran in the Japanese-based franchise sector. Kawasaki and Wetzel's have a strategic plan to open 10 Wetzel's Pretzels in Japan throughout the next two years. Additionally, the company has signed agreements and is in discussion with master franchise candidates to develop stores in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and China within the next two years.
Wetzel's first Asia location follows the same business model, and offers the same products as each Wetzel's Pretzels in the U.S., with one exception: the pretzels are 30 percent smaller to accommodate regional attitudes toward food and portion size.
"Great flavor, value and products know no borders," said Bill Phelps, CEO and co-founder of Wetzel's Pretzels. "There is a tremendous opportunity for growth in Asia. It's simply a matter of selecting how we want to move forward, and determining which business partners are the best fit for our brand."
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