Hollys' first coffee shop in Japan a hit with locals

The Korean coffee chain's first store in Japan, located in the Namba Marui department store in Osaka, drew 60,000 customers in the first 100 days.

Hollys' Namba Marui branch brought in 60,000 customers in the first 100 days of opening, the Korean coffee chain said Monday. [HOLLYS]

The first Hollys coffee shop in Japan welcomed 60,000 customers in the first 100 days of opening, the Korean coffee chain said Monday.

Located in the Namba Marui department store in Osaka, the outlet promoted the opening with a Korean-style cafe interior and food and drinks similar to its branches in Korea deemed effective in Japan.

"The Hollys store in Japan allowed the customers to enjoy the same taste and atmosphere as the stores in Korea, providing satisfaction among Japanese customers,” the chain said in a press release Monday, adding that “the continued popularity of Korean culture and K-food” in Japan had helped boost sales.

The store notably sells the Hallabong Yuzu Smoothie, using Korean hallabong, a citrus fruit grown on Jeju Island, and yuzu.

The store opened on May 1 as the chain’s first overseas branch.

Around 900 customers visited the store on opening day, and it has since averaged 600 customers daily.

“We plan to continue introducing new menu and merchandise items in Japan […] so we can achieve our initial goal of making Hollys the premium coffee brand that represents Korea,” it said in a press release Monday.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]