Garrett Popcorn Shops Brings American Treat To Tokyo

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Chicago-based Garrett Popcorn Shops opened its first store in Japan, in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku district, on Feb. 1. And demand at the store for the American treat has exceed expectations.

The store has already logged 10,000 customers, and on holidays, the wait in line has been as long as two hours. Sales have been double initial projections.

Popping corn is supplied by contracted farmers in the U.S., just as it is for Garrett's U.S. stores. The store mixes two types of popcorn kernels -- known as butterfly and mushroom -- which gives a serving a variety of textures.

The popcorn also comes in seven types of flavors, such as plain, mild salt and CaramelCrisp. The most popular flavor is the Chicago Mix, which combines the CaramelCrisp flavor and Garrett's CheeseCorn flavor.

Servings come in small, medium and large. A small size (60g) Chicago mix retails for 380 yen. Two types of gift tins are also available.

(The Nikkei, Feb. 27 morning edition)

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