Kioxia Targets U.S. Listing as AI Chip Boom Accelerates 
Wall Street Ends Mixed as Tech Stocks Struggle Ahead of Micron Earnings 
BOJ Hawk Signals Faster Interest Rate Hikes Amid Inflation Risks 
KPMG Australia Chairman and Senior Partners Exit Amid Escalating Whistleblower Scandal 
US Dollar Climbs to One-Year High as Fed Rate Hike Expectations Surge 
Alibaba Shares Fall After Anthropic Alleges Massive AI Model Distillation Campaign 
Malaysia Central Bank Moves to Support Ringgit Amid Foreign Fund Outflows 
Japan Manufacturing Growth Accelerates in June as Orders Surge Despite Iran War Cost Pressures 
South Korea’s KOSPI Jumps Over 5% as Samsung, SK Hynix Rally on Micron Earnings Boost 
Gold Drops Below $4,000 as Strong US Dollar and Fed Rate Hike Expectations Pressure Bullion 
Wall Street Slides as AI Stocks Tumble Following South Korea Tech Sell-Off 
Australia Jobs Growth Strengthens Rate Hike Outlook 
FedEx Stock Drops After Weak 2026 Earnings Forecast Despite Strong Q4 Results 
Anthropic AI Model Uncovers Vulnerabilities in Classified U.S. Government Systems During Security Test 
WiseTech Global Denies Knowledge of Investigation Into Founder Richard White 
Asian Markets Rally as Micron and Qualcomm AI Outlook Lifts Global Tech Stocks 
Singapore Inflation Stays Muted in May as Core CPI Misses Forecasts Ahead of MAS Review 
A Twosome Place is the no. 2 coffee chain brand in South Korea, and recently, it was said to have been put up for sale. It was listed on the market as Anchor Equity Partners, its largest shareholder, decided to sell its stake rather than go public for cash-out.
According to Pulse News, the private equity firm headquartered in Hong Kong has been approaching foreign and local PEFs to test if the sale will be a good decision. This information was said to have been shared on Thursday, July 19, by investment banking industry sources.
It was said that at least two major companies had shown interest in the acquisition of A Twosome Place. One of the firms was said to be the New York-based KKR & Co Inc., a capital market company, while the other one is a major local PEF, and its name was not mentioned in the reports,
Anchor Equity Partners owns a full stake at A Twosome Place that first opened in South Korea in 2002. Its very first store outlet was built in CJ Foodville, located in Shinchon, a university district in Seoul.
Since then, it has rapidly expanded, and today, it is the country’s second-largest coffee chain after Starbucks. The number of its stores increased from 100 in 2010 to 1,000 in 2018. The public knows the place to be a haven for desserts and a range of beverages; thus, it is a favorite hangout location for many.
A Twosome Place also constantly appears in Korean dramas, which helped the brand to grow exponentially. Through the drama exposures, even foreign countries that do not have this coffee franchise brand already know it.
At any rate, despite the slump due to the COVID-19 pandemic, A Twosome Place continues to thrive, and its sales even increase by 10% last year compared to the previous year. Last year, its sales grew 33%, which is equivalent to ₩365.5 billion or $318.7 million compared to 2018’s ₩274.3 billion.
Meanwhile, The Korea Times reported in May that A Twosome Place was supposed to go public. It already sent out a request for proposal (RFP) for its initial public offering (IPO) to securities companies, but as it turned out, it will not happen anymore as its stakeholder decided to sell it instead.
