A homegrown fastfood giant which has recently made expansion strides in China mainly through acquisition said it has shuttered its stores in Hubei province, the center of the on-going novel coronavirus crisis amid efforts to contain the plague by the Chinese government.
Jollibee Foods Corp. said it has allowed its workforce in the area to work from home.
“Jollibee is taking necessary measures to protect the health of all its employees in China such as allowing employees to work from home, providing them health guidelines to keep them and their families healthy and safe, including providing them with protective masks,” the company said.
Jollibee has a total 389 stores in China composed of 339 Yonghe King, 42 Hong Zhuang Yuan, and 8 Dunkin Donuts.
Jollibee said it believes “the novel corona virus, as with other episodes of epidemic like SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003), will be contained through the measures being taken by the government of the People’s Republic of China and in cooperation with other government agencies and private institutions.”
“… Yonghe King has provided free meals to the front-line medical staff since January 30 and has provided around 300 meals to the hospitals every day. The other businesses in China have also delivered free meals to the critical places including the medical staffs, delivery riders and sanitation workers,” it said .
“While it is too early to determine the total impact of the Novel Corona Virus on its business in China, Jollibee remains very committed to keep building and growing a profitable business in China,” it added.
China accounts for 6.5 percent of the total Jollibee store network and 7.4 percent of the global systemwide sales. Within Hubei, it has 14 stores Yonghe King stores, which are temporarily closed “and will remain closed as part of the government’s effort to contain the virus,” according to Jollibee.
“The 14 closed stores represent less than 1 percent of the total Jollibee store network and 3.6 percent of the total store network in China,” it said.
Jollibee earlier announced plans to open more stores in China this year, mostly Yonghe King, in line with its goal to become a significant player in the restaurant industry in China.
It envisions to build at least 1,000 stores in the People’s Republic of China in the next few years and that China will provide a significant contribution to the profit of Jollibee. (R. Castro)
