LISTED fast-food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) now has 100 stores in North America after opening a branch on Jan. 25 in the city of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, the company’s president said.
Over the weekend, JFC announced the opening of the new Jollibee branch at the Strawberry Hill Shopping Center. This marks the second branch in Surrey.
“The launch of our 100th store in North America is a crucial milestone for us, demonstrating the strength of our Jollibee North America team,” JFC President and Chief Executive Officer Ernesto Tanmantiong said.
He also expressed optimism for the future, saying, “We hope you will continue to cheer us on as we open the next 100 stores in North America and achieve our vision of becoming among the top five restaurant companies in the world.”
Highlighting the company’s accelerated push in North America, JFC noted the recent store opening as a part of its strategic expansion plans in the world’s largest quick-service restaurant market.
The Canadian expansion follows the recent inauguration of a Jollibee branch in Sterling Heights, Michigan, United States, on Jan. 12, marking the company’s first entry into the state.
JFC encompasses eight wholly owned brands, including Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, and Smashburger. It also operates four franchised brands — Burger King, Panda Express, Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and Tim Ho Wan in certain territories in China.
The group also owns 80% of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf; 60% in the SuperFoods Group that owns Vietnamese coffee brand Highlands Coffee; and 51% of Taiwanese bubble tea brand Milksha.
Shares of JFC were last traded on Jan. 26 at P274.60 apiece. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave