Biz Buzz: Oh shux! Jolli-BINI collab soon?

Looks like Blooms, the fans of Filipino super girl group BINI, are in for a treat through one of the country’s well-loved fast-food chains.

Chickenjoy maker and world stomper Jollibee Foods Corp. has recently been dropping hints of a new celebrity endorser on its Facebook page.

The BINI buzz started on Tuesday, when Jollibee posted a photo of its mascot with the words “Oh Shux!,” an iconic line from the eight-member P-pop (Pinoy pop) girl group’s hit song “Pantropiko.”

Then on Thursday morning, a social media card titled “spoilers without context” displaying emojis of a beach (alluding to BINI’s “Pantropiko”), a flower (referring to Blooms), and seven black-haired girls and a red-haired girl (appearing to represent BINI Mikha) was posted on the Jollibee page.

The post also included a past Facebook interaction between the official Jollibee page and graphic design company Karr Creates, which created their own design of collectible Jolli-BINI photo cards and “Salamin, Salamin”-inspired mirrors that went viral last month. “Salamin, Salamin,” of course, is the group’s second song to hit number one on Billboard’s Philippines Songs Chart after the summer hit “Pantropiko.”

Karr Creates’ creations back then were unofficial—but Jollibee seems to have taken a serious interest in those.

I don’t wanna wake up in this dream, baby! But along with other Blooms, we’re excited to get a full reveal soon. Are we getting special Bini mirrors? Is there a new dance craze coming up? Abangan! —MEG J. ADONIS

A nightmare for PH mattress exporters

Exporters of mattresses to the United States could well be losing some sleep these days as they may soon be hit by higher import taxes.

In a statement, the US International Trade Commission (USITC) said their very own mattress industry has been “materially injured” by goods coming from the Philippines, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Taiwan.

Citing the US Department of Commerce, the USITC said mattresses from these countries were sold in the western country at “less than fair value.”

“As a result of the commission’s affirmative determinations, the US Department of Commerce will issue antidumping duty orders on imports from Bosnia and Herzogovina, Bulgaria, Burma, Italy, Philippines Poland, Slovenia, and Taiwan,” the USITC said in a statement.

Based on USITC documents, initial investigation on the impact of the imported goods began on July 28 last year.

According to the US Department of Commerce, the Philippines exported $6.36 million worth of mattresses in 2020, $28.33 million in 2021, and $29.83 million in 2022.

Records from the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry, on the other hand, showed that $10.30 million worth of mattresses and $19.22 million worth of mattress support were exported to the western country in 2023. —Alden M. Monzon

PH firms bring home top retail awards

Philippine companies won big during this year’s Retail Asia Awards that recognized the region’s top innovators in the dynamic retail space.

Megaworld Lifestyle Malls emerged the top winner from the Philippines with three awards.

It was named Mall of the Year and was awarded for Marketing Initiative of the Year and Visual Merchandising of the Year.

Quorum International Inc., which owns and operates the Toby’s retail group, meanwhile, was named the Sporting Goods Retailer of the Year.

ACE Hardware Philippines bagged the Hardware Retailer of the Year award and got a Customer Service Initiative of the Year award.

Ayala Malls, meanwhile, was awarded for Digital Initiative of the Year and ESG Initiative of the Year. Bench was named Specialty Store of the Year and Gateway Mall 2, Araneta City got New Mall of the Year.

Rounding up the roster from the Philippines is Watsons Personal Care Stores Inc., which went home with the Health and Beauty Retailer of the Year and Sustainability Initiative of the Year awards.

According to Retail Asia, these winning companies recognized during the awards ceremony on June 11 in Singapore “have set a new benchmark for excellence, inspiring others to push boundaries and redefine the retail experience.” —Tina Arceo-Dumlao