Best of Both Worlds: Conti’s and Wendy’s PH open twin-store branch
Conti’s Bakeshop & Restaurant and Wendy’s Philippines opened the doors of their twin-store branch at U.N. Avenue, corner Maria Orosa Street, last March 23, marking Conti’s 76th store and Wendy’s 68th branch.
Whether to satisfy cravings for Wendy’s 100% beef burgers, their signature iced tea and Frosty, or Conti’s delectable cakes, pastries, and hearty comfort food, the two well-loved brands are right beside each other in this twin-store, to delight customers.
“We are grateful to our team members who have worked tirelessly to bring this new store to life and their unwavering dedication to providing customers with exceptional service. Maraming, maraming salamat. Conti’s and Wendy’s success comes not from us leaders but the people we work with–the farmers, our servers, suppliers, and the whole team,” said Eight-8-Ate President and CEO Joey Garcia.
“We are thrilled to have another twin-store that allows our customers to experience Conti’s and Wendy’s in one convenient location. We can’t wait to serve you and share our passion for good food and warm hospitality with the people of Manila,” added Garcia.
Filipino wins the 6th Zor Chess Championship 2023 In Dubai
Santiago German, a 20-year-old Filipino chess prodigy, won the prestigious 6th ZOR Chess Championship 2023, held last April 29 in association with the Consulate of Uzbekistan in Dubai.
German, the son of Dubai-based businessman Lito German and his wife Ditas, currently resides partially in the UAE as well as in the UK, where he is an undergraduate student at the University of Warwick. As an international player, Santiago possesses both FIDE and ECF ratings, showcasing his versatility and dedication to the game.
He is flourishing under the tutelage of renowned Grandmaster Saidali Iuldachev, multiple winner of the Uzbekistani Chess Championship and personal coach of many notable grandmasters such Nordibek Abdusattorov and Rustam Kasimdzhanov.
German has already managed to establish his place in the winner’s circle having emerged triumphant in several tournaments throughout the United Kingdom, including first place at the Coventry Rapidplay in December 2021, a second-place finish at the Major Section at the 44th Kidlington Chess Tournament in Oxford in February 2023, and in the same month, he was the champion of the Major Section for the Coventry Open Tournament. Including his win at the 6th ZOR Chess Championship 2023, all of German’s victories come with undefeated records.
“It is an immense honor and privilege to represent the Philippines in chess tournaments, as our country has produced some truly exceptional Grandmasters,” German noted. “I am thankful to all my coaches, and most especially the Filipinos who supported me all throughout this competition. By God’s grace, I hope to win more trophies for the country, as I make my way up the international ladder,” he concluded.
On track to profitability
etaily, a leading B2B eCommerce enabler, achieved positive unit economics or profit contribution 3 (PC3) in its second full year of operations.
The performance across the year exceeded each quarter’s target in 2022. The company realized year-on-year growth of 3x in gross merchandise value (GMV) and 6x in revenue. The tremendous scale has been powered by the growth of its legacy partner brands and the onboarding of several enterprise brands, most notably Reckitt Benckiser, Whole Earth Brands, Levi’s, and Skechers.
The financial feat signals the scalability and profitability of etaily’s operating platform, where the company envisions to anchor its next stage of growth. Riding on the strong momentum from 2022, etaily is eyeing for 3-4x GMV growth this year, with accounting profits expected to be realized around November and December. The company surpassed its GMV targets in the first quarter of 2023 by 53 percent.
“The aggressive growth in managed GMV and strong control over committed costs is fueling our acceleration to profitability ahead of our original forecast,” said Joscel Delos Cielos, director of Finance of etaily. “We are closely monitoring and controlling our contribution margin as it approaches and surpasses our committed costs in the coming months, thereafter, we will be profitable.”
UP Women’s Volleyball team gains new sponsor in Eurotel and Hotel Sogo
Global Comfort Group Corporation (GCGC), the management company behind Eurotel and Hotel Sogo, pledged its unwavering support to the University of the Philippines Women’s Volleyball Team (UPWVT) in a press conference held at Eurotel Vivaldi last March 28.
During the event, GCGC expressed its commitment to support the UP Women’s Volleyball team in their upcoming games and tournaments through their travel expenses, training facilities, and equipment needs. The two popular hotel chains have pledged to provide a substantial donation to the team, demonstrating their commitment to supporting sports development and gender equality in athletics.
With this partnership, the UP Women’s Volleyball Team will have the necessary resources to continue its success and compete at the highest level of college volleyball. The UP community is confident that this collaboration with Eurotel and Hotel Sogo is the missing link that will help propel the team to even greater heights.
The partnership between GCGC, Eurotel, and Hotel Sogo and the UP Women’s Volleyball Team is a testament to the importance of community support in achieving success. With this commitment, the team is set to achieve great things in the upcoming season.
Jane De Leon keeps healthy through Tiktok’s top collagen drink
How does TV’s Darna do it all and stay fresh and healthy through a demanding career and a memorable stint as the Philippines’s favorite superhero?
Jane de Leon recently revealed during the launch of Freshies Collagen Drink that she considers a healthy lifestyle an important part of her regimen. It was her youthful, strong and healthy glow that convinced Carlo Paita Juju Glow COO and Acee Sayson Paita, Juju Glow CEO that Jane was the right girl to represent the collagen drink that got more than 150 million views on Tiktok and Shopee in the last six months.
Freshies Collagen Drink is a powdered collagen drink that focuses on nourishing the body and encourages an active lifestyle by making it easy to take the micronutrients and minerals that would normally come in a pill. It even comes with sunscreen.
The drink is made up of 80,000 mg of Hydrolyzed collagen, Japan glutathione, L Carnitine, Coenzymes Q10 and is activated with oral sunscreen technology. All these elements come together in a drink that delivers all the benefits of these ingredients in a convenient, tasty beverage.
The drink is FDA-approved and Halal-certified with low-calorie content and high protein, making it perfect for lean muscle building and fat loss.
And now with the Freshies Avocado variant, there’s one more thing to love as avocado is one of the fruits that is so popular among people who practice intermittent fasting.
Sika completes MBCC acquisition
Sika has completed the acquisition of MBCC Group after having received all necessary regulatory approvals. With this transaction, Sika strengthens its footprint across all regions, reinforces its range of products and services across the entire construction life cycle and drives the sustainable transformation of the construction industry further and faster.
MBCC Group, headquartered in Mannheim, Germany, and formerly owned by an affiliate of Lone Star Funds is active in the field of construction systems and admixture systems. To close the transaction and to comply with regulatory requirements, Sika sold MBCC Group’s chemical admixtures assets in the UK, the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand to the international private equity firm Cinven. The business now acquired by Sika generated sales of CHF 2.1 billion in 2022, employs 6,200 people and operates in over 60 countries and 95 production facilities.
Sika’s sustainable product portfolio will be further enhanced with MBCC’s innovative technologies.
With this transaction, Sika strengthens its growth platform by broadening its product and solution offerings in four of five core technologies and seven of eight Sika Target Markets.
Customers will benefit from an enhanced and more efficient distribution network across all construction markets. Sika expects to generate annual synergies in the range of CHF 160 — 180 million by 2026. The combined Group is set to reach sales more than CHF 12 billion in 2023.
MMC new service
Makati Medical Center has recently announced a new subspecialty service in cancer genetics. This innovative service aims to identify high-risk individuals through genetic testing and provide personalized care based on their genetic profile.
The new offering at Makati Medical Center is intended for families who have diseases affecting multiple generations, those with specific patterns of malignancies involving several family members, those with more than one primary cancer, and those whose family members develop cancer at a young age.
To provide this innovative service, MakatiMed has enlisted experts trained in the field of Oncogenetics. These experts will conduct pre-test and post-test counselling, and they will be a vital part of the program. Additionally, MakatiMed is working to provide comprehensive genomic analysis and predictive cancer testing for all family members who may want to avail this offering.
Test drive festival
Caltex brand of fuels and lubricants, marketed by Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI) presents the 2023 Auto Focus Summer Multibrand Test Drive Festival happening on May 4 to 7 at SM Mall of Asia concert grounds.
The event is open to the public and everyone is invited to test drive the latest car models from Ford, GAC Motor, GWM, Honda, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, and WM Motor, fueled by Caltex with Techron.
Caltex will also be distributing free Caltex Rewards premium items to all attendees who will be downloading and registering on the Caltex Go app on the days of the festival. Customers can also get a chance to have a Caltex SavePlus card by visiting the Caltex booth in the venue.
