McDonald’s eyes 30 new stores for 2021
MCDONALD’S Philippines plans to open at least 30 new stores this year as it plans for recovery, the company said on Wednesday.
“With growth between the first and second half of 2020, which carried over to Q1 of 2021, the company is bullish on gearing for recovery this year,” the company said in a press release.
Golden Arches Development Corp., the master franchisee of the McDonald’s brand in the Philippines, shut 30 stores last year after lease expirations and some concerns with financial sustainability, but opened 16 new stores despite the pandemic.
McDonald’s ended 2020 with 655 stores in the country, down from 669 branches at the start of the year. The company had previously set a pre-pandemic target of more than 700 stores by the end of 2021.
Indoor dine-in at restaurants is currently prohibited under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) rules. Under this lockdown level, restaurants can operate half their outdoor seating capacity as well as take-out or delivery operations.
McDonald’s said that it had been scaling up its partnerships with food delivery mobile applications. It also launched a park-order-pay option at its stores.
“Our priority has always been to constantly evolve and introduce innovations for our customers, and for them to enhance their safe and frictionless experience across all channels. This continued rollout of our offerings is a strategic investment,” Golden Arches President and Chief Executive Officer Kenneth S. Yang said. — Jenina P. Ibañez
