New Zealand fast-food operator BurgerFuel faces a major challenge as it takes “coals to Newcastle” by expanding into the world’s most competitive fast-food market and home of the hamburger _ the United States _ says a retail analyst…

The US fast-food market generates annual sales in excess of US$200 billion and is predicted to reach US$237 billion by 2017, according to market research firm Euromonitor.

An analyst with market research firm Coriolis, Tim Morris, said the US was the graveyard of thousands of failed burger chains and an extremely tough market to crack.

“It’s like taking coals to Newcastle,” he said. “The world is full of US fast-food chains because it is such a competitive market and the five that we see here in New Zealand are the five best ones that battled their way through the wild west and the constant shake-out.”