JOLLIBEE FOODS Corp. (JFC) has opened its third store in the United Kingdom as part of the company’s plans to expand its global footprint.
In a statement on Wednesday, JFC said the new store is located at Leicester City and is the second branch opening in the United Kingdom in a span of two months.
“Everywhere, our world-famous Chickenjoy has always been met with excitement and we’re happy to see that Leicester City is no exception,” Dennis Flores, JFC President for Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia said in the statement.
“What is amazing with this opening is that 40% of the customers were locals from Leicester when usually almost all of the customers during the first weeks are Filipinos as they are already familiar with Jollibee,” he added.
JFC has two other stores in the United Kingdom, one in Liverpool and another in Kensington, London.
Mr. Flores said the initial sales of the Leicester City branch has exceeded the company’s projections by double digits and even surpassed sales during its Liverpool store’s opening.
“This is a good indication that our strategy to make Jollibee appeal to the mainstream market is working — allowing us to widen our customer base,” Mr. Flores said.
As of date, JFC said it has over 1,400 stores around the world, adding it plans to open 50 stores in Europe within the next five years.
The company posted a P1.58 billion net loss in the third quarter due to weaker sales resulting from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Its revenues during the July to September period fell 31% year on year to P29.97 billion
On Wednesday, shares of JFC rose 0.77% or P1.60 to end at P210.60 apiece. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
