Vol. XXII, No. 93 [ BusinessWorld Online ]
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
TACLOBAN CITY — Fastfood chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) plans to open six more outlets in the Visayas and Mindanao next year and boost sales by at least a fifth.
Last week, KFC opened its first outlet in Tacloban, and company officials said they were confident that sluggish consumer demand would not affect food sales.
"We’re looking at a 20% increase in our sales in 2009. The global economic crisis is already here, but we’re not affected because we offer good quality food," said Tess Gajudo, area manager for the Visayas.
One of the six new branches will also be in Tacloban. Ms. Gajudo declined to identify where they will open the five other branches. "We can’t give you yet the specific locations [because these are] still under negotiation but definitely, we’re opening six stores next year," Ms. Gajudo said in an interview.
Jojo Marcelo, KFC vice-president for operations, said their second store in Tacloban would be inside the Robinson’s Place, a mid-sized mall that is expected to open in the first quarter of next year. The first KFC outlet here is inside the Gaisano Central Mall, the first mall in Leyte.
KFC will tap suppliers from Tacloban and Cebu for their operations in the Visayas. Nearly 30 workers have been hired for the first Tacloban branch. KFC has 160 stores nationwide.
KFC is a chain of fastfood restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky. KFC was a wholly owned subsidiary of Tricon from 1997 to 2002, and has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Yum! Brands since 2002.
KFC mainly sells chicken pieces, wraps, salads and burgers. While its primary focus is fried chicken, KFC also offers a line of roasted chicken products, side dish and desserts. — Sarwell Q. Meniano
