Philippine burger chain Jollibee Foods sets sights on Europe, Japan

MANILA - Philippine fast-food giant Jollibee Foods is considering Japan or Europe for the next leg of its global expansion.

Speaking at the Euromoney Philippines Investment Forum on Tuesday, Chief Financial Officer Ysmael Baysa said stores in these areas might open in the next two to three years.

Baysa said he is still searching for the right locations, preferably ones with large Filipino communities. Government statistics show there are about 240,000 Filipino expats in Japan and some 770,000 in Europe.

Jollibee Foods has also been successful in expanding in countries like Vietnam and China, where there are relatively few Filipinos. In these areas, Jollibee offers meals that are already popular with local customers, such as pho in Vietnam and noodles in China.

However, Jollibee is unsure whether this strategy will work in Europe, which is already dominated by McDonald's, and in Japan, which has established home-grown fast-food chains such as Sukiya and Yoshinoya.

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