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Hello reader,
A couple of years ago, I had a phase where I absolutely loved fried chicken. What’s there not to like? It’s satisfying to eat, flavorful, and usually not too expensive.
This was my tier list of favorite joints at the time:
- Arnold’s, depending on which outlet it was – the one at Paya Lebar was always the best
- Jollibee – it could fight for the top spot at times and was usually more consistent than Arnold’s
- Wingstop – interesting selection of flavors
- 4Fingers, Popeyes, Texas Chicken
- KFC
These days, I don’t eat fried chicken that often for health and diet reasons, but I’d still indulge once in a while. If you’ve got any comments on my tier list, I’d be happy to hear them!
In today’s story, we take a look at one of the entries on my list: Jollibee. The Philippine chain has been snapping up coffee brands in recent years, leading to a potential showdown with Southeast Asia’s coffee startups. Who will emerge victorious? Read the piece to find out.
Today we look at:
- Jollibee strengthening its position in the cafe space
- Swiggy’s new B2B platform
- Other newsy highlights such as the IndiaAI Mission and the Gates Foundation’s new partnership and PDD Holdings missing revenue estimates
Premium summary
Something’s brewing
Image credit: Timmy Loen
To be honest, I had no idea that Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) was such a huge company, one that owns many brands I’m familiar with. The firm is now looking to double down on coffee brands as part of a larger strategy.
- Growth drivers: JFC has already taken a few steps in the right direction. Its coffee and tea business, which includes brands like Compose Coffee and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, experienced strong sales and operating profit growth in 2024.
- Staying ahead: If the company wants to retain its lead in the Philippines’ F&B space, it needs to not only grow its coffee business but also capture the younger demographic.
- Butting heads: JFC’s cafe expansion could put it up against VC-backed startups like Pickup Coffee and Zus Coffee. These firms have employed a number of strategies that have been effective in attracting young and middle-income customers.
Read more: Jollibee’s café-buying spree brews a showdown with startups
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