8 Reasons why Krispy Kreme will fail in Japan – Great Pic!
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. will open its first fat factory in Tokyo this Friday.
Japanese love a fad and if enough people tell enough people, something will catch on whether it's good or not…at least for a while.
Krispy Kremes are super sweet. More like glaze with a little dough than the other way around.
Krispy Kreme also has an old stalwart in Japan to deal with – Boston-based Mr. Donut.
Mr. Donut is:
1. not as sweet – Japanese prefer less sugar and it shows in their midsections. Cinnabons failed in Japan.
2. cheaper 94 yen to 150 yen
3. keeps its taste longer – KK only tastes good when they are warm and you can always nuke a Mr. Donut.
4. Mr. Donut serves dim sum
5. Mr. Donut offers free coffee refills
6. Whereever you find the colonel…you can find Mr. Donut.
7. There are 1,300 Mr. Donut stores….and only one Krispy Kreme.
8. The picture…the picture!! Japanese will never look like that.
Krispy Kremes has a long long way to catch up. Maybe some of that fat will stay off while they make chase.
What do you think?
See my update –
Krispy Kreme in Japan – Eating My Words
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April 7, 2007
Man Bill were you wrong about this one. I mean really horribly wrong, almost to the point that it’s laughable. You kind of remind of that University Professor who told the guy who founded FedEx that it could never work as a business plan.
Everyone loves Krispy Kreme donuts, it ain’t Cinnabon. Part of what makes them so great is how they taste freshly made. You can’t change or duplicate that and people anywhere will pay for that.
April 30, 2007
Dude you couldn’t have been more wrong. way to go buddy.
August 12, 2007
Couldn’t have been more wrong. They are raking in the dough.. no pun intended. Oh, and I have seen seriously obese Japanese just as a side note – so – yes, they can look like “that”
November 5, 2007
dude
you were sooooo wrong on that one!!!
KK still have people waiting 2 hours to get their junk, even when it rains, even when it’s 35 with no shade.
This post could the “first reason why people shouldn’t read that blog”
At least admit it, try to understand why it’s working so well, and share it.
November 18, 2007
Looks like KK is still going strong …. they do love lining up over here though so it may have nothing to do with the donut.
March 23, 2009
Mr. Doughnut will prevail because they are BETTER. CC SUCKS TR
March 31, 2009
KK STILL has people lining up for 1-2 hours – THREE YEARS after it was introduced.
Way to be wrong. I think this sums up the donut situation in Japan:
”
Hey, I’ve stood on that line! Those donuts are great. It’s hard to find a good donut in Japan. Most of them are watered-down and have no flavor. The tradional Japanese deserts are good but aren’t really as sweet and are very light tasting. I was lucky though, I never had to stand in line for an hour an a half. Maybe 20-30 minutes.”