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market for us and through our partnership with Arif we’re really excited about growing in this market because I do believe from a brand standpoint, the UK is a door opener for the rest of the EU,” says Kishore Jukhoop, head of operations at P.F. Chang’s. The end goal will be to open 100 sites across the UK, with 20 of those P.F. Chang’s restaurants opening up over the next decade. JS Holdings South Korea has gained widespread global popularity over the past few years, and British consumers are among those enjoying the businesses that have sprouted from it. In fact, the hallyu wave (the movement of Korean culture) has experience a 15% year-on-year increase in terms of popularity – ranking second globally, according to the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange. One brand contributing to the dissemination of South Korean culture across the UK is JS Holdings. The business is responsible for several food, entertainment, and lifestyle brands, including Korean restaurant franchiseYori. “A lot of people in Korea want to expand their brands to Europe,” confirms Jong Soon Kim, CEO and founder of JS Holdings and a well- known figure in South Korea. “The Korean government invited me to do some lectures about how we’re expanding our business in Europe.” One of the company’s latest ventures is a lifestyle and entertainment brand, Life 4 Cuts, which caught national media attention after King Charles visited the location last year. The business operates from a retail space, kitted out with photo booths and wearable accessories which customers can use to take printable photos which cost £8 a pop. It’s a concept that’s already very popular among younger generations of South Koreans, but Jong Soon had to consider how the brand would transfer to the British market. “I was told thatWestern people don’t like taking pictures, only Asian people like taking pictures,” he says. “But everyone is a human being, and they want to make memories to keep and share with friends.” Jong Soon was correct in his analysis, and the booths have been popular. However, not everything was completely transferrable to the British market, and the brand has made some changes to ensure its success. “When we did the market research, it showed that people here expect a more customised service and more attention to detail,” says Jong Soon. The research prompted the brand to reassess its self-service concept - Life 4 Cut stores in South Korea are completely unmanned. “We decided to have one staff member in the store, we can greet them, explain what we have, and show them how to use the machine. That’s a new addition to the European version.” The business has been looking ahead to how the brand can expand further, to ensure its longevity beyond the hallyu wave. Creating multiple revenue streams has been a big part of this, and something JS Holdings has introduced via a staggered approach. “You can’t just stay here. You have to evolve yourself,” explains Jong Soon. “We wanted to introduce the photo booth first, then a few months later we introduced K-Pop star frames, and then six months later we introduced goods. Every six months, every year, we want to add to the business.” The next step will be to introduce K-Pop albums and K-beauty items to sell in store, as customer research has shown this is likely to be of interest to the British consumers gracing Life 4 Cuts. For, JS Holdings these innovations are important developments in cementing their already established growth in the UK – a country that they see as an entryway into setting up shop in the rest of Europe. “We want to expose out brands in different areas, different locations, different countries, so franchising is the best option to do that.” Franchising has already proven intrinsic to the brand’s presence which now stands across 24 European countries and its Jong Soon Kim, CEO and owner of JS Holdings 51 WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM Interv iew | FEATURE