The bee is strong: Jollibee eyes 1,500 more areas for expansion

Raphael Reyes/Rappler

The fast-food giant sees more room to grow outside Metro Manila, while setting its sights on listing its international business in Hong Kong in 2027

AT A GLANCE

• Jollibee Foods Corporation plans to expand by identifying over 1,500 potential areas for growth in the Philippines from 2027 to 2030, primarily outside Metro Manila.
• The company's three main brands—Jollibee, Mang Inasal, and Chowking—account for nearly 90% of its Philippine sales, with Jollibee contributing 62%. However, the identified areas do not guarantee new store openings.
• JFC is also preparing to spin off its international operations into a separate entity, Jollibee Foods Corporation International, with a potential listing in Hong Kong by late 2027.

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MANILA, Philippines – The bee still has plenty of room to grow.

Fast-food giant Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) has identified more than 1,500 potential areas for expansion across the Philippines from 2027 to 2030, with most of these outside Metro Manila.

In a disclosure on Thursday, October 29, JFC said approximately 71% of these prospective markets are outside the capital region, where the company sees considerable room to grow its Jollibee, Mang Inasal, and Chowking brands.

The three brands already account for nearly 90% of its Philippine systemwide sales, with Jollibee alone contributing more than half at 62%.

But the 1,500 identified trade areas do not necessarily translate to 1,500 new stores.

The company has yet to disclose specific locations, investment requirements, or annual store-opening targets associated with its expansion plans. Actual openings will depend on site availability, commercial viability, and expected investment returns, JFC said.

The expansion outlook comes after JFC revised down its global store opening target for 2026 from 1,200 to 1,300 new stores to just 1,000 to 1,100 in its Q2 2026 updated full-year guidance.

JFC’s Philippine business reported 5.7% growth in systemwide sales during Q2 2026, while same-store sales, which measure performance at existing outlets, grew a more modest 1.3%.

Beyond opening new stores, JFC is also experimenting with different formats to improve sales.

The company reported that Mang Inasal’s eight drive-thru outlets operating as of the first half of 2026 generated average daily sales approximately 40% higher than those of its other stores.

Going global

Meanwhile, Jollibee has been happy to play part-time ambassador too.

When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited Canada in July, he and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also made a stop at a Jollibee branch in Vancouver, where they mingled with customers and employees after their bilateral meetings.

Two months later, British Trade Minister Anas Sarwar dropped by a Jollibee store in Bonifacio Global City during the first visit by a UK trade minister to the Philippines in nine years. He met JFC founder Tony Tan Caktiong, sampled the menu, and even received a Jollibee Funko Pop dressed in a Barong Tagalog.

The bee, it seems, is becoming quite the fixture in international relations.

And its international ambitions extend to the stock market.

JFC is preparing to spin off its international operations into a separately listed company, Jollibee Foods Corporation International (JFCI), with Hong Kong selected as its proposed listing venue instead of the United States, as originally planned.

Under the proposed restructuring, the Philippine business would remain listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange, while investors would be able to hold shares in a separately traded international company.

JFC is looking at a potential listing by late 2027, although it clarified on October 20 that reports of a Q3 2027 listing target were premature. The transaction remains subject to restructuring, market conditions, and regulatory approvals.

As of the first half of 2026, JFC operated 3,516 stores in the Philippines and another 7,251 internationally. – Rappler.com