Jollibee bites into West Malaysia with new Sunway Pyramid outlet

Jollibee has finally arrived on the shores of West Malaysia, with its first outlet opening in Sunway Pyramid today. The expansion comes after four years after its first Malaysian outlet was launched in Kota Kinabalu, Centre Point in 2018. While the company had plans for Malaysia pre-pandemic, Jollibee Group's assistant VP and market head for Southeast Asia, Rodel Alcantara, told A+M that those plans were delayed over the past two years.

"We believe now is a good time, seeing how people have adjusted to the changes brought about by the pandemic and we’ve also adapted to cater to our customers’ changes. We’re also confident about the economy of Malaysia," he added. In fact, the decision to its first outlet in West Malaysia was encouraged by the success seen in its Kota Kinabalu store. 

According to Alcantara, Sunway Pyramid was a great starting point for its West Malaysian expansion as it sees high footfall and a wide range of traffic from across Petaling Jaya. With its strategic location, the fast-food restaurant would be able to connect with the locals whilst building brand awareness affinity. Currently, the fast-food chain has plans to open more stores within the Klang Valley. Its overall plan is to open 120 stores across the country over the next 10 years. 

The company's marketing communications strategy will revolve around building awareness and trial among local Malaysians for its menu. "At our core, Jollibee is all about great tasting food. Whenever we open in new markets, we've seen that it's the food that brings people to Jollibee," Alcantara explained. Banking on its Chickenjoy, Jollibee will be engaging with Malaysian media publications, local key influencers, as well as leveraging on its relevant social media platforms to entice West Malaysians to experience Jollibee for themselves.

"As a major consumer market in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is an important part of Jollibee's growth and our vision is becoming one of the top five restaurant companies in the world,” said Ernesto Tanmantiong, CEO of Jollibee Group. With a mission to bring the joy of eating to everyone, the group is excited to serve more of its Chickenjoy and other favourites to Malaysians, added Tanmantiong. 

Meanwhile, head of Jollibee International Business, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia, Dennis Flores said the brand was overjoyed by the strong reception of its first store opening in West Malaysia. 

Plans to open its stores in Malaysia initially started in 2018. Flores told A+M that Malaysia and Indonesia were key to the brand's global growth due to the possible potential patronage from the local and Filipino community. Flores added that the team also carefully studies each new market to ensure that its brand values and USPs are communicated effectively. 

Meanwhile, Jollibee Foods Corporation has been on a roll when it comes to expanding its portfolio. Last year in November, it acquired Taiwanese beverage brand Milkshop International Co. After the acquisition, the corporation owns 51% of shares in Milkshop International Co for approximately US$12.8 million. Meanwhile, in August, it bought the shares of the remaining partners in the fund that owned the Tim Ho Wan brand. These acquisition moves came as an attempt from Jollibee Food Corporation to strengthen its portfolio to serve Chinese cuisine in different parts of the world.

Separately in December last year, Jollibee took a unique approach to promote its lastest Jollibee Chick'nwich by creating an ad similar to how tech products would be advertised. Done in collaboration with BBH Singapore, the campaign resulted in a "product reveal" film that parodied tech product launch advertisements. Akin to a phone advertisement, the film promoted the Chick'nwich's "ultra-large chicken display", "spatial surround crunch", and other carefully assembled components. It also advertised the product's tap-to-order functionality via Jollibee's app in smart phones, ending off with the product's "compatibility" with fries and a drink. 

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