Jollibee goes to London

MANILA, Philippines — Brits are about to have a taste of “bida ang saya” (joyful experience) as Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) has started its expansion in the United Kingdom with a ceremonial launch of its first store on Sept. 25.

Cabinet secretaries visited the store on the sidelines of an investors’ roadshow in the UK, a month before its grand opening next month.

JFC officials, led by chief executive officer (CEO) Ernesto Tanmantiong and JFC president and head of Jollibee International Business for Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia Dennis Flores, welcomed the government officials.

“We are truly delighted and excited to be opening and introducing Jollibee to this part of the world. I, together with our Jollibee International and store teams, sincerely appreciate your presence here. We are sincerely humbled by your visit as we partner for economic progress and help contribute to bringing honor to our country,” said Tanmantiong.

Tanmantiong noted that as JFC has done in Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore and Hong Kong, it also envisions to successfully serve the Filipino community as well as the British in the UK.

The Cabinet officials’ visit coincided with the Philippine Economic Briefing in the UK, where they presented before the UK-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Business Council the latest updates on various government programs.

The officials present were Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, National Economic and Development Authority director general Ernesto Pernia and Bases Conversion and Development Authority president and CEO Vivencio Dizon.

Lawmaker Pia Cayetano and Philippine Ambassador to the UK Antonio Manuel Lagdameo joined the Cabinet officials.

“From our family, to our people, to those who invested in us, to our suppliers and to our customers, the journey has become not just our own, but a journey of the Filipino people. We look forward to traveling to the next destinations together,” Tanmantiong said.

The UK store, which is opening on Oct. 20, is among the latest branches JFC is opening abroad.

JFC will also open stores in Macau and New York this year.

“(JFC’s) success is becoming the success of the Philippines as they represent, in a way, the dynamism and world class, hardworking and happy character of Filipinos,” Lopez told The STAR.

Lopez said the economic team is pleased to be part of the JFC milestone in the UK.

JFC is the parent company of Jollibee and has 12 brands with over 4,000 stores across 20 countries.

In 2013, JFC became the number one restaurant company in Asia in terms of market capitalization and is now the world’s largest Asian restaurant company.