I am sure many of you know this website already. I had forgotten about it until I arrived in Beijing on December 8th. The humour of www.engrish.com can be a little borderline (who am I with my Germanic English to judge other people…?), but by and large it’s still funny. Check out the sections which have photos of products from Asia.
Is it a deadly sin not be a first-mover in foreign markets? Burger King, the world’s second largest burger chain, recently announced that it would expand it’s business in China by 250 to 300 outlets. Compared with McDonald’s 950 or KFC’s 2,200 this seems to be a relatively small number. Looking at the timing of entry, the link between time of entry and market penetration seems apparent: While KFC (a part of Yum! brands which also operates Pizza Hut) entered China in 1987 and McDonalds entered the Middle Kingdom in 1990, Burger King only joined the crowd in 2005. KFC also seems to cater to local tastes much better. Chinese prefer chicken over beef, and KFC has even added a long list of new items to it’s menu, including deep-fried dough sticks (youtiao) or pumpkin porridge. My prediction is, this will be a case to watch…