International ice cream brand to open three outlets in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines – The Araneta-led Philippine Pizza, Inc., will bring in the international ice cream brand Dairy Queen in three sites in Cebu in the next couple of months.

An American ice cream brand, DQ has been in the Philippines for nine years. This year or around early 2016, local franchise holder Philippine Pizza, Inc., will have already opened nine sites, all in Luzon, said PPI marketing manager Lauren Adrias.

Philippine Pizza Inc., which is also the operator of Pizza Hut chain, is moving its ice cream brand outside of Luzon, and Cebu is the hottest target of interest, Adrias said.

Sweet-indulgence in a reasonably priced, but not cheap products, like ice cream is one of the top things that Pinoys cannot get away with, despite the strong campaign and awareness on healthy-eating habits.

The company will open at least three full-store Dairy Queen outlets in Cebu, he said, adding that this is part of the company's plan to open at least 76 outlets in the next three years.

International Dairy Queen President and Chief Executive Officer John P. Gainor earlier was quoted saying the Philippines is one of Dairy Queen’s best sales performers in Asia, outselling its Southeast Asian counterparts by as much as 30 percent.

Dairy Queen has 5,600 outlets in Canada and the US and is present in 19 countries, including India, China, Thailand and Indonesia.

Gainor said they are satisfied with the pace of the chain’s expansion here, expressing confidence that the brand can become the market leader despite tighter competition in the Philippines compared with other Asian markets.

The Concepcion-led RFM Corp., a firm also engaged in food and beverage, gave up the franchise of Dairy Queen in 2004 after the brand failed to take off. The Araneta group picked it up in the following couple of years.