Auntie Anne’s heads to Myanmar

Auntie Anne’s takes its signature soft pretzels to the people of Myanmar through a great franchise deal.

A new deal has been reached that will see Auntie Anne’s open its first ever outlet in the country of Myanmar. Singaporean company, Yoma Strategic, has struck a deal with US Focus Brands that will see them open an outlet of the takeaway pretzel franchise in the city of Yangon, with plans to open more branches over the coming years.

Despite having more than 1,800 stores across an incredible 30 countries, Auntie Anne’s has struggled to crack Myanmar, meaning the deal with Yoma Strategic is a fantastic achievement for the company. It has a strong presence in the ASEAN region already, with branches in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and more, and the new opening in Myanmar marks further fantastic growth for the franchise.

Over the past few years many international brands have begun to expand into Myanmar, taking advantage of the country’s growing middle class who are eager to spend their rising disposable income on tasty treats like delicious soft pretzels. So, seeing the time may be right to expand into the country, Auntie Anne’s entered discussions with Yoma Strategic with tremendous success.

Melvyn Pun, CEO of Yoma Strategic, said the company sees a strong desire for franchises like Auntie Anne’s in Myanmar, with “considerable growth” anticipated in the freshly baked goods sector. He added:

“While many street vendors do offer traditional Myanmar alternatives, the addition of an iconic international brand will only enrich the local foodscape.”

Set up in 1988, Auntie Anne’s has become world famous for its large hand-rolled soft pretzels. It began life as a way for the original ‘Auntie Anne’ to fund her husband’s free family counselling services for the local community and love has stayed at the heart of the franchise to this day.