MANILA, Philippines — Jollibee Foods Corp. is expanding in North America with a plan to add 28 stores.
Maribeth Dela Cruz, president of Jollibee Group North America Philippine Brands, said the company remains optimistic despite the difficult business environment last year.
Of the 28 stores, 19 will be in the US while nine will be in Canada.
“We have remained nimble and optimistic which has led Jollibee to defy expectations amidst an extremely difficult year and experience double-digit sales growth across North America,” Dela Cruz said.
The 2021 expansion will mark Jollibee’s largest-ever addition to its North American store network in company history.
Last year, Jollibee managed to open 16 stores across North America amid the pandemic. It opened four new stores, led by openings in San Antonio, Texas; San Diego, California; and Delano, California in the US and a location on the historic Yonge Street in Toronto, Canada.
The December openings bring Jollibee’s total US network count to 48, and 14 for Canada for a total of 62 stores in North America.
Last December, Jollibee opened its first location in San Antonio, Texas. This also marks Jollibee’s first store in south-central Texas as the brand has three other stores across the greater-Houston-area.
Jollibee also opened its 21st store in California located at 8436 Mira Mesa Boulevard in San Diego, with over 5,000 customers served in its first five days of opening.
The new location marks the brand’s return to Mira Mesa and a concerted effort to build up its store network in the San Diego area which is home to a sizable Filipino community.
Jollibee also opened in Yonge Street in Toronto, which was greeted by huge fanfare from the community and exceeded sales targets. The area is often referred to as the ‘Times Square of Toronto’ as it is a major retail hub with heavy pedestrian traffic.