Benson set to become an Ourhome division in November as it explores airport and catering sales

Premium ice cream brand Benson is exploring sales opportunities beyond its shops ahead of its integration into Ourhome as a business division. Alongside recruiting franchisees, it plans to broaden its routes to consumers through airports, shopping complexes and contract catering. For those following South Korea’s franchise market, the key question is how this change will fit with its expansion through standalone shops.

Business transfer agreement signed, with integration scheduled for November

According to reports published on 26 October, Benson’s operator, Better Scoop Creamery, signed a business transfer agreement with Ourhome on 22 October. Better Scoop Creamery is scheduled to become an Ourhome division in November. The move signals a change in the brand’s operating structure alongside its shop expansion plans.

Benson is known as a business championed by Kim Dong-seon, president overseeing future strategy at Hanwha Machinery & Service Holdings. The brand launched in May last year and has opened 19 new shops this year. That figure refers to openings during the current year, not the total shop count.

The significance of the agreement extends beyond access to Ourhome’s logistics network. Benson is exploring ways to reach consumers through the various venues and channels in which Ourhome operates. With plans to broaden both its supply infrastructure and sales channels, this is more than a change to its franchise recruitment timetable.

However, signing the agreement, completing the planned integration and introducing individual sales channels are separate stages. The business transfer agreement has been signed, but the new routes to market have been announced as proposals under consideration or being pursued. This should not be taken to mean that Benson products are already available at airports or through catering services.

It will also be important to distinguish organisational changes from actual commercial results after the integration. The integration timetable concerns the operating structure, while broader sales remain a plan whose implementation has yet to be confirmed. Keeping the two separate is essential to understanding the scope of the announcement.

Sales opportunities under consideration, from airports and shopping complexes to contract catering

The channels Benson is considering include Ourhome’s concession operations at airports, shopping complexes and motorway service areas. It is also exploring sales through contract catering and foodservice distribution channels. These would offer ways to reach consumers without necessarily opening additional branded shops.

These channels do not all imply the same type of outlet opening. The announcement concerns expanding sales through existing venues and distribution channels. Interpreting it as confirmation of standalone airport shops or franchised outlets at motorway service areas would go beyond what has been announced. The actual format will need to be confirmed as plans develop.

Contract catering and foodservice distribution should likewise be assessed separately from growth in franchise numbers. Expanding the trade channels through which products are supplied is different from increasing the number of Benson shops that consumers can visit. The two should not be combined into a single outlet-opening figure when assessing the brand’s growth.

If the sales expansion goes ahead, consumers could encounter the brand in more places beyond its existing shops. Whether those additional points of contact translate into more visits or higher sales for franchisees is a separate question. Plans to secure new channels should therefore be treated cautiously as evidence of individual franchise profitability.

For prospective franchisees, it is more practical to establish how these channels will operate than simply to count the places where products may be sold. Key questions include which products will be offered, in what format, and how the offering will differ from that of existing shops. These are matters to clarify in subsequent business briefings, rather than outcomes already announced.

Apartment community services also planned, but each channel is at a different stage

Benson is also pursuing a plan with Gourmet de Galleria to provide food and drink services focused on communal facilities within premium apartment complexes. This extends the proposed sales network beyond high-footfall public venues such as airports and shopping centres to services within residential developments.

However, pursuing services for apartment communities does not mean that a launch at any particular development has been confirmed. The announcement establishes that Benson and Gourmet de Galleria are working towards this approach. The precise service format remains a matter for subsequent announcements.

Broadly, the proposed sales channels fall into three groups: concession venues, contract catering and foodservice distribution, and food and drink services for apartment communities. Identifying these channels is not the same as beginning sales through them. They should not be read collectively as a confirmed list of new trading locations.

Those assessing the plan from a franchise perspective should consider both increased brand exposure and shop operating conditions. More opportunities to encounter products outside shops do not automatically establish the role franchisees will play. The relationship between standalone shops and other sales channels will depend on how the business operates in practice.

The key developments to watch are therefore concrete implementation details, rather than additional channel names. Locations, launch dates, product ranges and service formats will be needed to assess how far the plans have progressed. At this stage, it remains accurate to describe them as proposals being explored or pursued.

Franchise expansion to proceed alongside other channels, with separate shop targets

Better Scoop Creamery has completed the franchise business registration process and plans to begin recruiting franchisees in the first half of 2027, focusing on major commercial areas in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan region. It has set a target of 100 shops by 2027: 50 company-owned and 50 franchised. These are future targets, not current shop numbers.

Geographical expansion will also be phased. The initial focus will be on Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan region, followed by expansion into other parts of South Korea from 2028. To support nationwide supply, the company plans to use Ourhome’s infrastructure to build a tailored frozen delivery system that maintains the temperatures required for ice cream.

Although shop expansion and sales beyond shops have been announced together, their performance measures should remain separate. The company-owned and franchised shop targets concern retail outlets. Sales through concessions or catering channels require separate confirmation of implementation, and there is no basis for treating them as part of the 100-shop target.

For prospective franchisees, the practical checks are clear: establish who the contracting party will be after integration, confirm supply terms, and ask how franchise operations will relate to other sales channels. Benson’s expansion plans merit attention, but any franchise decision should rest on actual contractual, delivery and sales terms rather than target shop numbers.