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K-pop group BTS (Twitter screenshot)

Global fast-food chain McDonald's saw its sales jump by 40.5% in the second quarter of 2021. Analysts have attributed that to the effect of a combo meal released in May in collaboration with K-pop group BTS.

McDonald's Q2 figures, released on July 28, show that the company's global same-store sales rose 40.5% year on year. Sales were also up 6.9% compared to Q2 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Same-store sales in the US this past quarter were also up 25.9% from 2020 and 14.9% from 2019.

Reuters and other news sources attributed McDonald's strong performance to a BTS combo meal sold in 50 countries around the world this past May and the release of new menu items, including crispy chicken sandwiches. Other factors, according to Reuters, were "larger order size and menu price increases."

The BTS meal became an international sensation after the BTS members directly advertised it.

McDonald's served the meals in packages that were purple, the color that symbolizes the group. The packages themselves were sold for high prices on the used-goods market. In Indonesia, several McDonald's outlets had to close over fears that they would be the epicenter of infection clusters.

A spokesperson for McDonald's said the BTS meal had driven visits to stores and increased sales of Chicken McNuggets.

By Choi Hyun-june, staff reporter

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