Netizens are surprised of the many “Burger King” closures in Japan

If you are a big fan of Burger King in Japan, you may be surprised that 20% of the stores operating in Japan are closing this month.

But many locals who eat at Burger King in Japan are wondering…”What’s up?”.

Of the 99 stores operating in Japan, 22 will be closed by the end of May.

The number of stores that have been closed or will be closing are as follows:   Ibaraki (3), Saitama (2), Chiba (3), Tokyo (5), Kanagawa (2), Gifu (1), Kyoto (1), Osaka (4), Hyogo (1)

This means that Kyoto and Ibaraki lose all Burger King restaurants and Osaka which had six, will now be down to 4.

Burger King is the world’s second-largest hamburger chain with 17,000+ stores in 100 countries and is owned by Brandes International based in Canada.  Burger King first entered in Japan back in 1993 but due to poor business management, withdrew back in 2001 and re-entered Japan in 2007.  Korea Lotteria had been in charge of operations.

While Lotteria will keep its stake in Burger King Japan and will still remain involved in operating existing locations, Burger King transferred operating rights as of October 2017 to Hong Kong investment fund company, Affinity Equity Partners.  And Affinity Equity Partners established a Japanese subsidiary, BK Japan Holdings, who is now in charge of management in Japan.

There have been numerous changes in Japan in the past few years, while McDonalds has 2,900 stores in Japan, we have seen Wendy’s buying Tokyo-based fast food restaurant, First Kitchen and Colowide purchasing Freshness Burger and also have seen the growth of Shake Shack in Japan.

So, if you live in the area that have a Burger King that is closing soon, best now to eat a whopper!

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