4 new Burger King branches to open this year

BK Titans, the new owner of the Burger King fastfood chain in the Philippines, is putting up four new branches this year as part of efforts to beef up its presence in the country, particularly in Metro Manila.

BK Titans (BKT) treasurer Wilson Young said the new restaurants will be located in C5, Libis; Ortigas, Ayala Avenue and somewhere near an airport. He said the group is also planning to put up a branch in Cebu but would want to do it in partnership with a resident there to achieve economies of scale. Each store, he said, costs P5 million.

Aside from this, the group will refurbish existing branches in Glorieta and the Ayala Town Center to attract more customers. "There will be a complete makeover of these branches in line with our goal to become a leading player in the market," Young said.

At present, there a total of 22 Burger King outlets in the Philippines.

"We hope to turn around the business in one or two years," Young said.

Shareholders of BKT include former Customs Commissioner Alberto V. Lina, telecommunications tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan, Airfreight president Angelito Alvarez, and Young.

BKT bought the Burger King fastfood chain in the Philippines from conglomerate Ayala Corp. last year as part of the latter’s strategy to focus on its core businesses which include real estate, financial services, telecommunications, utilities and electronics.

Ayala exited the food business in 2001 when it sold Pure Foods Corp. to San Miguel Corp., but the Burger King business was not part of that transaction. Since that time, Ayala and BK Asiapac had looked for a buyer for Burger King.

BK Asia-Pacific is confident that the strength of the Burger King brand, world renowned for flame-broiled Whopper®, combined with the passion and commitment of the principals of BKT will provide the foundation for future growth.