Pizza chain putting up more shops in PH

SHAKEY’S Pizza is considering expanding its Philippine  operations by 30 stores over the next five years, which may involve at least P450 million in investment.

Company general manager Jorge Concepcion Thursday said the thrust was more on ensuring the quality of service and customer experience in Shakey’s stores, rather than quantity.

Having been in business in the country for 40 years, Shakey’s now have at least 165 local stores.

“We may add some more to bring the total to 200 stores, 250 at most,” Concepcion said, adding that a store costs some P15 million to P25 million to put up.

He said the cost for a free-standing store is much higher than ones inside malls, considering that the company has been known for roomy establishments and ample parking spaces.

The expansion outlook means a slowdown compared to the past two years when the company added 30 stores to its chain. It, however, has no intention of having too many stores.

Of the existing Shakey’s stores today, at least one-third or about 65 stores are run by franchisees.

A feature that Shakey’s wants to build on is the in-store arcade dubbed Funzone, which the company said was not limited to their big stores.