BHC Co. logged 400.4 billion won ($358 million) in sales in 2020, up 26 percent from the year earlier, placing the company as the No. 2 South Korean fried chicken franchise, the franchise operator said Wednesday.

According to BHC Co., which runs the BHC Chicken brand, the company’s operating profit also grew by 33 percent on-year to record 130 billion won in 2020.

It is the first time the fried chicken franchise recorded sales surpassing the 400 billion mark, the company said. Among the plethora of fried chicken franchises here, Kyochon F&B and BHC are the only two companies with annual sales recording over 400 billion won. Kyochon F&B, the country’s No. 1 fried chicken franchise, achieved 447.7 billion won in 2020.

BHC broke off from Genesis BBQ, another fried chicken franchise and food company, in 2013.

The firm’s sales have been growing steadily since then, surpassing 100 billion won in 2014, and then 200 billion won in 2016. In 2019, the company recorded 318 billion won in sales.

“We were able to achieve the result by concentrating our core capabilities in improving product quality, while consistently pursuing professional management system and for transparency and mutual benefits in governance,” BHC Chicken CEO Im Geum-ok said.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)