MANILA - The Philippines' largest food operator Jollibee Food Corp. (JFC) on Wednesday said it would open its first stores in the United Kingdom, Manhattan (USA), and Macau (China) as part of its overseas expansion plans.
The first Jollibee store in the UK will open on Oct. 20, the outlet in Macau will open on Sept. 28, while branches in Manhattan and in New York will open in a few months, JFC said in a statement.
"JFC is bringing the company’s well-loved brand to Filipinos abroad to give them a taste of home," JFC said.
Aside from serving Filipinos overseas, Jollibee said it has "seen success" in serving locals, especially in Vietnam and Brunei where most of their customers are locals.
In Singapore, more than half of its customers are locals, JFC said.
"JFC envisions to continue replicating its success in the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Hong Kong and Singapore in other markets soon," it said.
The company hopes to be among the world's top 5 largest restaurant companies in terms of market capitalization. To do that, JFC is focusing on the two largest economies, namely China and the US, while sustaining growth in the country.
JFC recently announced its plans to build a "significant" Mexican food business in the US. It also recently raised its stake in Smashburger to 85 percent for $100 million.
The company in March also opened a Jollibee branch in Milan, Italy its first in Europe.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
