Donut King in Shanghai China

Written on the 11 November 2008

Australia's Donut King has opened its first outlet in Shanghai, with additional stores to open in Shanghai during the coming months.

The opening on 1 November 2008 was the result of a Master Licence Agreement between Retail Food Group and Shanghai-based Mak Brands Limited to develop and proliferate the Donut King franchise system within the People's Republic of China.

Donut King opened its first outlet in Eastgarden Sydney in 1981. Today there are more than 309 Donut King outlets operating in Australia.

Retail Food Group MD Tony Alford said Mak Brands Limited had plans to open at least 20 stores in China within five years, including another two stores in Shanghai prior to end December 2008, and stores in Hangzhou and Ningbo in the Yangtze River Delta.

"China represents a fantastic opportunity for the Donut King system because of the growing attraction of western food," he said.

Following extensive market and consumer research, Donut King products have been subtly adjusted to meet the sensibilities, taste profiles and expectations of the Chinese market while retaining the system's signature branding and products.

This has included reducing the sweetness of some products and adding some special Chinese flavours including green and chia to the current Donut King iced beverage range

Additional sites in China have already been identified by Mak Brands Limited for the other new Donut King outlets and these will help create a solid platform for the future growth of the system in that country.

Retail Food Group is also continuing to investigate the launch of its other retail brands Brumby's Bakery, Michel's Patisserie and bb's cafe in China during the next three years.