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Tag: Philippines

  • DC Super Heroes Cafe in Manila closes for good

    DC Super Heroes Cafe in Manila closes for good

    DC Super Heroes Cafe in Manila permanently closed on Thursday, announcing the move on Facebook.

    In the post, management thanked customers of the SM Megamall store who had been fans of the superheroes-themed cafe since it opened in 2018.

    “To say that it was our pleasure to serve you is an extreme understatement. Our goal was to create a place where every superhero fan can enjoy good food and feel at home. Seeing your faces when you walk into our store, when you talk excitedly with our team about how you enjoy all the small details when you acknowledge the service and food makes it all worth it”.

    The DC Super Heroes Cafe in Manila, managed by Edric Chua. was known for its DC-inspired food and drinks. It also offered DC superhero merchandise collections for characters including Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Even though closing, the shop promised customers it will still continue to sell merchandise through its Facebook account.

    “We would have loved to extend our stay, but these are trying times. The most important thing to remember now is to stay properly informed, and to stay safe,” the company concluded.

    In the end, DC Super Heroes Cafe in Manila described its customers as “the true heroes”.

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  • The Philippines’ Max’s Group posts 17-per-cent profit growth

    The Philippines’ Max’s Group posts 17-per-cent profit growth

    Max’s Group (MGI) which operates restaurants under its own brand name, Yellow Cab Pizza, Krispy Kreme, Jamba Juice and Teriyaki Boy, has boosted net income to $14.43 million last year.

    Fourth-quarter sales alone increased by 10.4 percent to $108.55 million from $98.22 million the previous year.

    System-wide revenue for the full year totaled $77.56 million, up 7 percent year on year, to $392.07 million.

    “Our performance demonstrates the success of our strategies to focus on our core business and spur long-term expansion through franchising,” said MGI president and CEO Robert F Trota. “Our continued investment in our commissaries also marshals the integration and modernization of our operations.”

    He said the company remains cognisant of the headwinds in the current business environment and assured investors that their teams are well-equipped to sustain levels of service and profitability.

    Meanwhile Ariel P Fermin, group COO said that following a year when the company invested in its brands to drive mainstream relevance, its focus now is to deliver on the increased demand.

    “Our integrated supply-chain programs are designed to furnish consistent quality, cost-optimized, and responsive services to our growing customer base and store network.”

    He added that the fundamentals the company put in place will serve it well in light of the challenges ahead this year.

    Max’s Group opened 82 new stores last year, including 22 overseas, taking its network to 760 locations, with 70 of them located overseas in North America, the Middle East and Asia.

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  • Pet Lovers Centre flourishes in the Philippines

    Pet Lovers Centre flourishes in the Philippines

    The Philippines’ Robinsons Retail will open its fifth Pet Lovers Centre (PLC) this year following its strategy of broadening its retail focus beyond fashion.

    The latest pet shop is scheduled to open in the third quarter of this year in Robinson Place Palawan.

    Pet Lovers Centre has grown after Robinsons Retail Holdings secured the license from the Singapore-based pet store chain last October with the first shop opening in Robinsons Galleria in Metro Manila.

    The store has selections from local and international brands that caters for different pets and their needs. It also has a section dedicated to aquarium hobbyists, featuring tropical fish, ornamental shrimp, freshwater aquatic plants and nano-tanks.

    Christine Tan, senior marketing manager, Pet Lovers Centre, said that nowadays pet owners see the company they buy supplies from as part of their ecosystem. The brand’s rapid expansion in the Philippines attests to the fact that PLC is resonating with pet owners there.

    “The PLC brand is about an award-winning shopping experience that translates the love and passion for pets into true value. We do this by offering pets and pet lovers quality products and services, highly accessible care and fun experiences.”

    She added that this includes the widest and freshest range of products pet owners can find with prompt, friendly and helpful service as well.

    Other Pet Lovers Centre stores are located in Robinsons Magnolia Mall and UP Town Center in Metro Manila and Robinsons Galleria in Cebu City.

    The pet retail and service chain was founded by David and Robert Ng in 1973 and has a network of more than 100 stores across Southeast Asia.

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  • Walter Mart expands network in Luzon, Philippines

    Walter Mart expands network in Luzon, Philippines

    Luzon supermarket operator Walter Mart has added six new stores to its network this year and the company has also ventured online.

    The Philippine firm says online retailing is its way of expanding its customer base beyond its physical stores across Metro Manila.

    Rosemarie D Caalam, Walter Mart Supermarket GM, said that the expansion would further boost Walter Mart’s presence in Luzon. The company has no plan yet to expand in another area however she stressed it will continue to provide the community’s needs.

    Caalam was commenting during the opening of ‘I Love Philippines’, a program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and part of the government’s Go Local project.

    Walter Mart Supermarket has now 41 stores in Metro Manila, Central, and South Luzon. The chain operates its anchor stores such as the Walter Mart Supermarket, Walter Mart Cinemas, Abenson Appliances, Homeplus Furniture, Electroworld, and SB Furnitures.

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  • Robinsons Retail down last month

    Robinsons Retail down last month

    Robinsons Retail has reported a 25-per-cent profit drop to US$75.2 million (PHP3.83 billion) last year and $18.8 million in the fourth quarter.

    However, net sales rose 22.8 percent to $3.2 billion for the full year driven by same-store sales growth of 3.4 percent. It was the first full year including the consolidation of Rustan Supercenters.

    The company blamed the profit decline on the effect of the new accounting standard PFRS16 which resulted in a net impact of $6.2 million in the fourth quarter and $19.6 million for the full year.

    Core net income excluding the PFRS16 adjustment rose by 9.5 percent to $31.4 million in the fourth quarter and 2.1 percent to $100.3 million for the full year.

    Net income post-PFRS16 was $78.7 million.

    “We have bolstered our strategic focus on data and digitalization, with our investments in Data Analytics Ventures Inc and e-commerce platforms BeautyMNL and Growsari, Inc,” said RRHI president Robina Y Gokongwei-Pe.

    “We remain optimistic because we approach technology as a means for our brands, loyalty programs, and marketing campaigns to become even more customer-centric and engaging in this new digital market.”

    Meanwhile, net sales for the fourth quarter went up by 14.4 percent to $921 million, primarily driven by the company’s drugstore network, up 7.4 percent, convenience stores up 5 percent, department stores up 4.7 percent and supermarkets at 4 percent.

  • Cebu Pacific to offer seat sale from March 3 to 5, 2020

    Cebu Pacific to offer seat sale from March 3 to 5, 2020

    Cebu Pacific has announced a seat sale from March 3 to 5, 2020.

    The budget carrier said it will offer a sale on all domestic flights on March 3, sale on international flights on March 4 and sale on all destinations on March 5.

    The promo fares will be valid for travel from September 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021.

    Cebu Pacific, however, did not state how much the promo fares would be.

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  • Philippine Shopping Festival delayed due to coronavirus outbreak

    Philippine Shopping Festival delayed due to coronavirus outbreak

    The first Philippine Shopping Festival, a nationwide sale promotion aimed at getting people into malls, has been postponed due to the rise of coronavirus disease worldwide.

    The Department of Tourism (DOT) announced the postponement of the month-long event just one day before it was supposed to start on Sunday, saying it prioritized the safety of the public more than a visitor or tourist arrivals and revenue.

    “The malls are still free to continue (their) day-to-day operations. The DOT also recommends that malls follow the precautionary measures set by the Department of Health, such as checking the temperatures of mall-goers before allowing them to enter and the provision of more hand sanitizers in their premises,” said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

    The Philippine Shopping Festival was intended to be the country’s answer to Singapore’s Great Sale and Hong Kong’s Summer Sale.

    DOT targeted attracting foreign and local tourists where they could expect 15 to 70 percent discounts on Philippine-made products including food and dining, jewelry and fashion, crafts, furniture, and decor as well as beauty and wellness.

    Shopping is the most common tourist activity in the country at 38 percent based on the department’s Visitor Sample Survey in 2018.

    Puyat advised the public to maintain proper hygiene and follow the guidelines set by the Department of Health to contain the spread of the virus.

    The department has not yet decided on a new date for the Philippine Shopping Festival.

    The shopping festival is supported by the Philippine Retailers Association, Philippine Franchise Association, Philippine Owners Association Inc, Hotel Sales and Marketing Association and others.

  • Jollibee profit slides despite strong last quarter

    Jollibee profit slides despite strong last quarter

    Philippine restaurant brand Jollibee Foods suffered a 14.4-per-cent drop in earnings last year after operating income fell by 25.1 percent.

    However, a strong fourth quarter prevented a worse annual result, with operating income up 11.6 per cent on a 23.2-per-cent boost on systemwide sales.

    “Practically all brands in the Philippines improved their same-store sales growth quarter on quarter, led by Jollibee, Red Ribbon, Greenwich and Burger King,” said a spokesperson from the firm.

    “Same-store sales growth in the Philippines was driven by the continued growth in the volume of customer visits in the stores compared to a year ago and strong growth in the delivery business for all brands.”

    Jollibee Foods president and CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong said that despite a tough year, the current turnaround is being brought on by an increase in customers’ in-store and growing demand for its delivery business.

    Favorable returns on the firm’s investments – including a notable expansion of Jollibee’s newly acquired The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf chain – have helped improve the pace of earnings.

    Jollibee Foods is targeting opening 600 more outlets this year, a little more than half of those abroad.

    “We look forward to a much stronger sales and profit performance in 2020 and the years ahead even as we consolidate the financial performance of CBTL into our financial results,” said Tanmantiong.

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  • Philippine chain AllHome eyes strong expansion

    Philippine chain AllHome eyes strong expansion

    Philippine home-store chain AllHome will expand its store network to push its selling space beyond 450,000sqm this year.

    “We are set to bring AllHome to more locations in 2020,” said the firm’s chairman Manuel Villar Jr. “Our expansion program is both sustainable and strategic by taking advantage of the synergies between our real estate companies, such as Vista Land, as well as the opportunities in the home improvement industry in the Philippines.”

    As of last year, the firm’s total selling area covered 313,000sqm.

    In part as a response to the coronavirus outbreak, the firm has moved to secure its inventory sufficiently enough to cover its planned expansion and existing network for several months. China is one of AllHome’s major inventory sources.

    “We can easily shift to our other existing sources, like Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, and even the US,” said AllHome president Benjamarie Therese Serrano. “Our fresh funds indeed came in at the right time when it comes to our inventory management.”

    AllHome’s net income grew 225 per cent in the first three quarters last year. Its total revenues increased by 72 per cent to PHP8.2 billion (US$162 million).

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  • Philippine retailers experiencing coronavirus-related sales slump

    Philippine retailers experiencing coronavirus-related sales slump

    The Philippines’ largest retail landlord SM Supermalls says retailers’ sales have dropped both at home and in China due to the coronavirus crisis.

    According to ABS-CBN, local sales of the group fell by 10-20 percent in the first few weeks of the coronavirus outbreak as people avoid shopping and eating out in the Philippines for fear of exposure.

    In Mainland China, where SM operates malls, sales have slipped by up to 50 percent in tenant’s stores.

    At the same time, other Philippine retailers have witnessed a 30-50 percent decline across the “total retail environment”, according to Roberto Claudio, vice chairman of the Philippine Retailers Association.

    “That drop will go down into billions (of pesos) in terms of lost sales and revenues,” said Claudio. “If this goes on toward the end of the year, it is going to be devastating for most retailers and malls.”

    The Philippines has confirmed three coronavirus cases, all visitors from Wuhan City in the central province of Hubei.

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  • Philippine airlines are losing Chinese tourists amid coronavirus outbreak

    Philippine airlines are losing Chinese tourists amid coronavirus outbreak

    When Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte pursued closer foreign relations with China, he helped attract planeloads of Chinese tourists to the Southeast Asian nation. Now, the coronavirus outbreak is reversing the trend, much to the chagrin of airline companies.

    Budget carrier Cebu Pacific has put its expansion plans into the Chinese market on hold after the Covid-19 disease triggered the biggest health scare in the region since the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in 2003. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines have both canceled all China-related flights until the end of March, and both stocks have taken a beating along the way.

    The country has reported three infection cases, and recorded the first death outside China on February 2. After that, Duterte imposed a sweeping ban on travels to and from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to protect the country in one of the most drastic reactions by regional governments. Approvals for visas on arrival have also been tightened.

    “Traveller volumes on China-Philippines routes have fallen,” said Jose Enrique Perez De Tagle, vice-president of corporate communications at PAL Holdings, which owns Philippine Airlines. Mainland Chinese account for about 10 percent of its global passengers, he added.

    Global travel restrictions on Chinese travelers as airlines cut flights to mainland
    15 Feb 2020

    Since Duterte won the presidential election in June 2016, the combative president has embraced closer ties with Beijing despite territorial disputes in the South China Sea. He has also distanced the country from the US, including a decision last week to end the Visiting Forces Agreement, a 21-year pact that allowed US troops to be based in the country for bilateral exercises.

    Mainland Chinese tourists have since become the nation’s second-largest source of tourist arrivals in the Philippines, according to government data. They made up more than one-fifth of the 7.5 million arrivals in the first 11 months of last year, versus 9.1 percent in 2013.

    The Philippines received 1.26 million Chinese tourists in 2018 versus 491,000 in 2015, according to Colliers, citing government data. They spent US$1,130 per person on average, boosting the retail and tourism sectors. In January to November last year, arrivals jumped 40 percent year-on-year, faster than the national average of 10-15 percent, Colliers said.

    Ending Philippines-US military pact will affect South China Sea disputes: analysts
    16 Feb 2020

    The coronavirus outbreak has claimed more than 1,800 lives and infected more than 71,000 people worldwide, mostly in mainland China.

    Before the outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, local carriers were emboldened by the surge in Chinese visitors to consider adding more routes in China to take advantage of the growth.

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  • Cebu Pacific, PAL to resume Taiwan flights after travel ban lifting

    Cebu Pacific, PAL to resume Taiwan flights after travel ban lifting

    Two local airlines will again mount flights to and from Taiwan after the government lifted the travel ban on the territory.

    Cebu Pacific flights will resume February 17.

    In an advisory, the airline will have one flight from Manila on Monday and only arrival flights from Taiwan beginning February 18.

    On February 21, there will be two flights from Manila and two from Taiwan.

    “We are notifying passengers both on those flights on the resumption of scheduled flights starting Monday,” said Cebu Pacific spokesperson Charo Logarta- Lagamon in a phone patch interview.

    Lagamon said the airline has carried out safety measures since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

    “Ever since the situation with the COVID-19 broke out, we have implemented precautionary measures — disinfection of aircraft, measures for personnel — and we try as best as we could to keep them in place all through these weeks,” she said.

    Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines announced in an advisory that Taiwan flights will begin February 21. Trips will initially be four times weekly — Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday — until February 29.

    Daily flights will resume March 1.

    “Passengers originally confirmed on canceled MNL-TPE and TPE-MNL flights now have the opportunity to book on the restored PR890 and PR891 flights,” said PAL.

    Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo earlier said that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases lifted the travel restriction given Taiwan’s strict security protocols against the COVID-19.

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  • Ikea Philippines store delayed until 2021

    Ikea Philippines store delayed until 2021

    The opening of the first Ikea Philippines store has been delayed until next year.

    The Swedish furniture and homewares chain cited “construction adjustments” as the reason for the delay, with Ikea Southeast Asia market development manager Georg Platzer reassuring ABS-CBN News the store was “taking great shape” nonetheless.

    The debut Ikea Philippines shop – set to be the largest in the world when it is complete – is under construction adjacent to the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay.

    “Whilst the building is taking great shape on the skyline, as can be the case with mega construction projects, the timeline is adjusted and firmed up as the project moves along,” Platzer told ABS-CBN.

    “There have been changes to the schedule and the opening date will be in 2021.”

    Ikea Philippines is building the store with two retail levels with three more floors to house a regional warehouse, a call center and head office facilities to handle online sales.

    News of the 65,000sqm store was first revealed by Inside Retail Asia in April 2018. At the time, the largest Ikea store globally was in Seoul, a 59,000sqm space that opened in December 2014.

    With a product range of 9000 SKUs, the store will serve more than 5 million households located within a 60-minute drive as well as online shoppers.

  • Cebu Pacific extends sustainable tourism campaign to Bohol

    Cebu Pacific extends sustainable tourism campaign to Bohol

    Cebu Pacific (CEB), the Philippines’ largest carrier—and one of the largest in the region— has extended its ‘Juan Effect’ sustainable tourism program. After roll-outs in Siargao and in Boracay, Bohol will be adopted as a Juan Effect destination with interventions put in place to support its sustainable tourism practices.

    Bohol was chosen as the next destination as it is one of the Philippines’ and the airline’s most popular destinations, has welcomed close to 1.5 million tourists in 2018, according to the Provincial Planning and Development Office.

    Juan Effect Bohol will launch with an information campaign through signages installed in Bohol’s most popular tourist attractions, including the Chocolate Hills, the Tarsier Sanctuary, and the Loboc River Cruise. These multi-lingual signages, made out of recycled wood, carry reminders of simple things to do or behaviors to observe while visiting these attractions.

    “It is important to strike a balance between growing the tourism industry and preserving the very assets that attract tourists,” said Candice Iyog, vice president for marketing and customer experience at Cebu Pacific. “Bohol has seen its tourist arrivals grow in the past year. We are adopting it as a Juan Effect site to do our part in reminding our travelers to conserve its ecological and cultural treasures.”

    In partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT), the multi-sectoral sustainable tourism program is also supported by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, as well as the Department of Interior and Local Government. The advocacy engages the local community, the government and tourism stakeholders, in educating travelers about their responsibilities as tourists.

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  • Lenovo Philippines opens second Legion concept store

    Lenovo Philippines opens second Legion concept store

    Tech brand Lenovo has opened its second Legion concept store in the Philippines at SM City Cebu.

    The company has launched the outlet near the mall’s cyberzone area to showcase its gaming devices and accessories. It will also serve as an event space for monthly gaming tournaments.

    Lenovo Philippines GM Michael Ngan says it wants to introduce the Legion brand to Filipinos living outside the national capital. He indicated that further branches are likely to open in the country.

    The Legion concept store is offering a range of promotions to mark its Cebu launch.

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