MANILA – Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc., the country’s leading chained full-service restaurant, has signed a franchising agreement to open its first store in Singapore following a seven-year deal with Brenrich Pte. Ltd.
“We are thrilled to restart our international franchise journey in Singapore, which is at the forefront of global recovery, and we are fortunate to have Brenrich as our franchisee partner in the Lion City, given their rich experience in the restaurant industry,” Shakey’s president and chief executive officer Vicente Gregorio said in a statement Tuesday.
Gregorio said while the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic is presenting challenges to food companies like Shakey’s, it is also serving as an impetus to turn a crisis into an opportunity.
“With the worst of this crisis hopefully now behind us, we are setting our medium and long-term priorities, establishing plans to win in a post-Covid world by building stronger and better Shakey’s. This includes strengthening our presence in our primary market, the Philippines, but also opportunistically expanding into other key international locations through strong partnerships with experienced and guest-centric operating partners,” he added.
Shakey’s is set to open late in the second quarter or early in the third quarter of 2021 its first Singapore store in Lucky Plaza mall, along iconic Orchard Road.
Jose Arnold Alvero, Shakey’s vice president for international operations and franchising, said, “The primary target market initially will be Filipinos living in the city-state. But the Lucky Plaza outlet is also seen to attract Singaporeans, as it is located along a busy business district.”
Singapore’s Brenrich Pte. Ltd. director Wong Ban Ming said he was “very happy and excited to bring Shakey's to Singapore.”
“We are certain that many locals, and especially the overseas Filipinos, miss Shakey’s, and this will bring back a sense of nostalgia,” said Wong, also managing director of Asian Foodmall and franchisee of Tapa King Singapore.
Shakey’s currently has three stores outside the Philippines.
It opened its first store in the Philippines in 1975 and now has 242 stores across the Philippines. (PR)