Jollibee opens new stores in Los Angeles

MANILA, Philippines- Fastfood giant Jollibee Foods Corp. on Thursday announced that it has recently opened three more stores in the United States. In a statement, the company said the new stores in Los Angeles, California will strengthen its presence in the US. First to open was the Jollibee store in Puente Hills Mall at the City of Industry last August, followed by Southbay Pavilion in Carson City last September and Chino Town Spectrum in Chino City just this month. Jollibee outlets in Southbay Pavilion and Chino Town Spectrum also offer products from Red Ribbon. The Puente Hills Mall store meanwhile has a Red Ribbon and Chowking in the same location. The company said the presence of a significant number of Filipino families will ensure a market for its stores. "Succeeding in the Philippines can only mean one thing, that we are faced with a new challenge of conquering other markets and exceeding international standards. We are confident that we can make this happen," Jollibee president Ernesto Tanmantiong said. In 1986, Jollibee has opened its first store abroad in Taiwan. Two years later, its first US store was opened in Daly City, also in California. To date, there are 20 Jollibee stores in the United States catering mostly to Filipino communities. "Our groundwork for conquering the US market begins in California," Tanmantiong said. Jollibee US is also aiming to crossover to the Hispanic market, a significant minority race in the US. Last June, it opened its second store in Panorama City specifically at Panorama Mall where 90 percent of the clientele are Hispanics. Besides its three new branches in California, Jollibee has an outlet in Las Vegas, Nevada that opened last year and one upcoming in Queens, New York. It also has stores in Brunei, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Saipan. "The next step is to conquer international markets further," Tanmantiong added. For the remainder of 2008, four more Jollibee stores are set to be opened in the US. These are Moreno Valley Mall and Great Mall Milpitas in November and Westfield Plaza West Covina and Stockton in December. GMANews.TV