MSA BRIEF · MYANMAR · CONSUMER AND F&B

Myanmar Consumer Market Brief 2026

Which international consumer and food brands operate in Myanmar today, which categories are open to foreign investors, and what Myanmar’s contract and trademark law means for franchising. Every brand has been checked against evidence from 2023 or later.

MSA Brief · October 2026 · 7 minute read · Free to read

Operating conditions

The World Bank estimates that Myanmar’s economy contracted by 2.0% in the fiscal year 2025/26 and forecasts 2% growth for 2026/27, cut from 3% after an early-2026 fuel shock. Inflation eased in late 2025 and then rose to 24.6% year on year in April 2026.

The World Bank describes priority allocation of foreign exchange, partial rationing of key imports and long licensing procedures. New import and export compliance rules took effect on 6 July 2026; unlicensed beer, cigarettes and vapes are confiscated. Commercial beer imports are restricted to hotels and duty-free.

Which international brands are present

Much published material on Myanmar’s consumer market predates February 2021. MSA has checked each brand below against evidence dated 2023 or later and shows the date of the latest evidence found.

Brand	Status	Operator or partner	Latest evidence
KFC	Present: 37 stores at 31 Dec 2025	Yoma Strategic Holdings	Yoma trading update, 11 Feb 2026
Pizza Hut	Present		USDA report, Feb 2025; delivery listings, Sep 2026
Burger King	Present		USDA report, Feb 2025
Lotteria	Present		USDA report, Feb 2025
Krispy Kreme	Present		USDA report, Feb 2025
Coca-Cola	Present	Coca-Cola Pinya Beverages Myanmar (bottler)	Recruitment listing, Sep 2026
Pepsi brands	Present	Lotte MGS Beverages	RFA report, May 2024
Heineken	Present	Heineken Myanmar	Heineken full-year 2025 results, 11 Feb 2026
Ajinomoto	Present	Myanmar Ajinomoto Foods	Ajinomoto company list, Apr 2024
Unilever	Present	Unilever Myanmar	Careers listings, Oct 2026
Nestlé	Imports only: factory and head office closed Feb 2023	Myanmar Distribution Group	Just Food, Feb 2023
Kirin	Exited, Jan 2023	Stake in Myanmar Brewery returned	Kirin disclosure
Starbucks, McDonald’s	Not present		Absent from USDA list of international chains, Feb 2025

Other international food and beverage chains listed by the US Department of Agriculture in February 2025 include Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Gloria Jean’s, Ippudo, Bonchon, Marrybrown, Gong Cha, The Pizza Company, Café Amazon, Ya Kun, BreadTalk and Black Canyon. The same report says five Asian and two American franchise brands left after February 2021, including Auntie Anne’s. MSA found no confirmed consumer-brand entries or exits for 2024 to 2026.

Modern trade is led by local groups. City Mart Holding operates City Mart, Ocean Supercenter and City Express formats.

Which categories are open to foreign investors

Closed to foreign investors: mini-markets and convenience stores under 10,000 square feet (Myanmar Investment Commission Notification 15/2017).
Joint venture with a Myanmar partner required: confectionery; biscuits and noodles; food processing other than milk and dairy; alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages; drinking water and ice; soap and cosmetics (same notification).
Retail and wholesale: open to wholly foreign-owned companies since the Ministry of Commerce’s Notification 25/2018 of May 2018, subject to Ministry approval, a minimum store size of 929 square metres and minimum investment thresholds. MSA found no later amendment.
Company status: under the Myanmar Companies Law 2017, a company with up to 35% foreign shareholding is treated as a Myanmar company.

Franchise and contract law

Myanmar has no franchise statute. Franchise arrangements fall under the Contract Act 1872, the Trademark Law 2019, the Competition Law 2015 and the Consumer Protection Law 2019 (Tilleke & Gibbins, August 2026).

Trademarks. The Trademark Law took effect on 1 April 2023 on a first-to-file basis. Marks recorded under the old deed system must be re-filed. A trademark licence takes effect only once its recordal is filed with the Intellectual Property Department, and only registered marks can currently be recorded.
Restraint of trade. Section 27 of the Contract Act provides that “every agreement by which any one is restrained from exercising a lawful profession, trade, or business of any kind is to that extent void”. Law-firm commentary indicates that exclusivity during the term can survive if it is limited to a specific business, period and area, while post-termination non-compete clauses are generally hard to enforce.

MSA view. For franchisors and brand owners, the protections that hold up are registration and recordal of the mark, and clear in-term obligations. A post-term non-compete should be treated as unlikely to be enforceable. Sanctions screening of local partners sits alongside these points.

Sources

World Bank, Myanmar Economic Monitor and press release, 16 June 2026.
Yoma Strategic Holdings, trading update to 31 December 2025 (SGX, 11 February 2026); Heineken N.V., full-year 2025 results (11 February 2026); Ajinomoto, integrated report 2024; Kirin Holdings disclosure on Myanmar Brewery (January 2023).
US Department of Agriculture, Food Service: Hotel Restaurant Institutional, Burma (February 2025).
Radio Free Asia (May 2024); Just Food (February 2023); company recruitment and careers pages accessed October 2026.
Myanmar Investment Commission Notification 15/2017 (Myanmar Trade Portal); Tilleke & Gibbins on retail and wholesale (2018), trademark law (2023) and franchising (2015, 2016, August 2026); DFDL on import and export compliance (2026).

Independent research for information only. It is not legal advice; contract and franchise structures in Myanmar require review by qualified local counsel. Every figure is sourced and graded by evidence strength; see How we verify.