Julie's Bakeshop marks 30th anniversary

MANILA, Philippines - A mix of constant brand innovation, product improvement, and aggressive marketing initiatives continue to be the key ingredients for Julie’s Bakeshop’s success as the company marks its 30th anniversary this year.

Since it was established in 1981 by Julia and her husband Diegs Gandionco, Julie’s Bakeshop has been able to systematically employ these business strategies to build its brand. Within three years, it had 10 branches all over the city of Cebu, and opened its first branch outside of the province in 1988.

Ten years later, its first franchise opened in Camiguin and from there, the brand ventured into its nationwide expansion. Currently, it is regarded as the country’s most successful neighborhood bakeshop chain with over 500 bakeshops all over the country.

On its 30th year, and under the leadership of Joseph R. Gandionco, the president and chief Executive officer of Julie’s Franchise Corp., Julie’s Bakeshop is set to intensify the various aspects of its operations even more.

“We are proud to have reached this milestone in our corporate existence but we are far from resting on our laurels,” said Gandionco. “We are constantly coming up with plans to expand our brand and strengthen our leadership in the bakery industry.”

Gandionco said the company is enhancing its business models to support its existing franchisees and entice more entrepreneurs to see how lucrative it is to put up their own Julie’s Bakeshop outlet. The company expects to meet its target of opening 50-60 new stores on top of its present network of over 500 branches nationwide and grow its sales by 10 percent.

For a initial franchise fee of P250,000 along with the mandatory market study, an interested franchisee could have a Julie’s Bakeshop up and running. Every shop is assured of continuous marketing campaign support, from bakery opening to building superior brand image. Franchisees and staff undergo intensive and thorough training, seminar-workshops and hands-on product handling. A baking technology program also highlights the Julie’s way of achieving product quality, service excellence and customer satisfaction. There’s also a reward system in place for bakery team performance, a motivational tool to drive all teams nationwide to excel both in sales and in operational efficiency.

A year after it opened to franchising in 1999, Julie’s Bakeshop was dubbed the “Success Story of the Year” and “Outstanding Country-Side Investor by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. Since then, the company has garnered many recognitions related to marketing and franchising, from different respected institutions like the Philippine Franchise Association and the Philippine Marketing Association.