Tim Hortons to enter South Korea this year 

(Source: Reuters/Mohsin Raza)

Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons is set to expand into South Korea this year through a master franchise agreement with local quick-service restaurant firm BKR. 

The location of the first store has not yet been disclosed. BKR is also the South Korean operator of fellow Restaurant Brands International-owned chain Burger King, operating 480 stores in the market. 

“South Korea is one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing coffee markets,” said David Shear, president international of Restaurant Brands International. 

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the number of coffee shops in the country reached its peak last year with about 99,000 stores, increasing 17.4 per cent year on year. 

The announcement came after the brand disclosed its Southeast Asia expansion, which will see the chain launching into Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia during the next two years under the partnership with Japanese trading group Marubeni. 

The chain also entered Pakistan earlier this year with the first store opened at the Lahore shopping mall. 

Tim Hortons has about 5600 restaurants across 15 countries, including the US, Mexico, Spain, the UK, the Middle East, China, India, Thailand and the Philippines. 

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