GOPIZZA, the Korean pizza brand which sells pizza by slices, has opened its newest store at Bangalore’s Nexus Whitefield Mall. GOPIZZA started its operations in 2019 in India and currently offers its products through offline stores as well as cloud kitchen-based orders, served on Swiggy and Zomato.
The brand currently operates 200 outlets in Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia & India,.
GOPIZZA debuted in 2016 in Korea with a truck shop at Yeouido Night Goblin Market, Seoul. Instead of selling pizza by small, medium and large portions, the brand offered a differentiated meal by serving single-person servings. The traditional round pizzas were replaced by GOPIZZA with oval shaped portions. By 2017, the company was operating 30 outlets in Korea in tie-up with top department store chains.
Jay Lim, the Founder and the CEO of GOPIZZA, was nominated Forbes ’30 Under 30 Asia in 2019. Though business expansion slowed down due to the pandemic, the company opened cloud kitchens in 2020 in Singapore. The lockdown was a boon, as consumers were ordering through food delivery apps. The same year, the company opened its first outlet in Singapore.
After a successful opening of its new outlet at Phoenix Marketcity in Bangalore in 2021, the company opened its flagship store at Singapore’s much popular Suntec city. The brand currently operates 28 offline stores including two in Hyderabad and on national highways connecting Bangalore & Hyderabad cities. The company also has a flagship store at Bangalore International Airport.
The most interesting part of GOPIZZA is its pricing strategy. Pizzas start from as low as Rs. 99/- for a portion and can be added with top-ups. When a group of consumers dine together, it also offers them flexibility to order different varieties which suit their preferences, instead of ordering one large or medium portion. The concept of pizza-by-slices is gaining attention in India, with the spurt in spends by millennials.
From the current 20, GOPIZZA plans to grow its outlets in India to 100 by the end of 2023. Mahesh Reddy, CEO, GOPIZZA INDIA had said in a previous interview to QSR Media, “The brand is looking to tap into the cities of Pune, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, and other key Tier 2 cities: Chandigarh, Jodhpur, Jaipur and Kochi, in the next few years. In the next two years, GOPIZZA would like to open a total of 50 new outlets in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.”
The pizza market in India is estimated to be Rs. 16,000 Cr (USD 2 Bn) pa. The market is dominated by market leader Dominos followed by Pizza Hut with 2,000 outlets between them. Several niche pizzerias operate in major Indian cities which have a dedicated set of fans and followers. Pizza by slice is an innovative and recent concept. Oyyalo, currently owned by Dindugal based Naga Foods has been making considerable inroads in this market after acquiring the brand from Hatsun Foods in 2021.
Mahesh added in the same interview, “We are confident that it would find success in India credited to the K-trend since being a Korean brand provides a lot of attention and affection from customers in India. With the core USP (unique selling point) being universal functionalities such as price competitiveness, quick serving speed, and personal-sized pizzas, GOPIZZA still tries to infuse some Korean kicks into our brand in terms of menu offerings and marketing, activities. There are also some K-pizzas in the Indian market that were launched in 2022, attributed to the booming Korean wave in the country.”
