FRUITAS Holdings, Inc. is opening more stores across the country with the downgraded quarantine in select areas starting May 1.
In a statement Monday, the operator of food and beverage kiosks said it will have more than 60 active stores by the end of this week as it gradually expands store reopening with the shift of some regions to a general community quarantine (GCQ).
It will also ramp up its delivery operations with more than 10 Fruitas brands on-boarded for delivery.
“As we resume operations in more stores, we will continue to adapt our business model and optimize the use of our resources,” Fruitas President and Chief Executive Officer Lester C. Yu said in the statement.
“We are harnessing our model of maximizing sales and profits with limited space, including the utilization of kitchen capacity in our foodparks to fulfill delivery orders. We will also repurpose or upgrade some stores into delivery hubs,” he added.
Fruitas said it had reopened more than 10 stores in the past week and is preparing to reopen at least 10 more this week.
The government is set to downgrade the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in regions that are considered low-risk or medium risk after April 30. The ECQ in Greater Metro Manila and other high-risk regions will remain until May 15.
Areas that will be under GCQ may gradually reopen more establishments and facilitate mass public transportation but still at reduced capacity.
Quarantine measures in the Philippines have been in place since middle of March due to the ongoing spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since then, Fruitas said it had strengthened its delivery network and partnered with food companies to boost revenue streams.
At present, the company said it was looking at partnerships with more on-demand delivery service providers.
“We are confident that we will emerge stronger and thrive in the post-pandemic environment,” Mr. Yu said.
Fruitas operates brands such as Fruitas Fresh from Babot’s Farm, Buko Loco, Buko ni Fruitas, De Original Jamaican Pattie, Johnn Lemon, Juice Avenue, Black Pearl, Friends Fries, The Mango Farm, 7,107 Halo Halo Islands, Kuxina, Shou La Mien Hand Pulled Noodles and Sabroso Lechon.
Shares in Fruitas at the stock exchange inched up one centavo or 0.71% to P1.41 each on Monday. — Denise A. Valdez
