Jollibee continues international expansion

MANILA, Philippines — The Jollibee Group, a Filipino-owned Asian food conglomerate, will continue with its sustained and aggressive international expansion on the back of easing restrictions in global markets and businesses worldwide.

Jollibee Group chief marketing officer Daniel Gomez said their strategic pivots in marketing helped the company overcome the challenges brought about by the health crisis, which led to its continuous store openings, growth, and profitability.

These initiatives, he said, would continue as it enabled Jollibee to report a net income of P5.9 billion last year, a reversal of the P11.5 billion loss recorded in the previous year. Its operating income amounted to P6.3 billion, about the same level in 2019 or pre-pandemic, which was P6.5 billion.

“With these encouraging results, we are more determined to continue improving our marketing strategies and sharpening our customer focus so we can sustain the growth momentum and help the Jollibee Group emerge as a stronger organization, even post-pandemic,” Gomez said.

During the pandemic, the Jollibee Group’s marketing team shifted to a digital-first media strategy to align its marketing communication with its customers’ media consumption habits.

One of its major marketing pivots is the improvement in the takeout and delivery channels of its various stores and brands. This initiative, Gomez said, proved effective in driving sales at the height of the pandemic in 2020.

“This was the scenario we saw in our business in the Philippines and international markets, where off-premise channels like delivery contributed significantly to total sales,” Gomez said.

Another strategy Jollibee implemented is opening off-premise outlets. These include Delivery and Takeout Only (DelTo) stores such as that of Greenwich and Panda Express in the country.

“We have also launched the Jollibee Cloud Kitchens in key locations like Singapore and the US to make delivery even more efficient,” Gomez said.

The Jollibee Group also accelerated menu innovations such as ready-to-cook products and group meals offered at good value so that its customers can enjoy all these in the safety of their own homes.

Gomez said consumer needs are evolving, thus, the need for marketing pivots. These needs will continue to evolve even after the pandemic, he said.

“The global pandemic brought about several shifts in consumer habits and these changes happened swiftly. Our challenge was to quickly respond to these changes so we can continue delivering taste and value superiority to our customers amid a crisis,” Gomez said.

At present, the Jollibee Group has eight wholly owned brands; Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Smashburger; six franchised brands (Burger King, Panda Express, PHO24, and Yoshinoya in the Philippines; Dunkin’ and Tim Ho Wan in certain territories in China); 80 percent ownership in The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; and 60 percent in the SuperFoods Group that owns Highlands Coffee and PHO24.