Potato Corner ramps up expansion

MANILA, Philippines — Flavored French fries retailer Potato Corner is planning  to expand with the opening of 1,000 more stores in the local market, and  10,000 stores overseas in five to 10 years.

“For the Philippines, we are looking at maybe 1,000 more stores,” Potato Corner co-founder and chief executive officer Jose Magsaysay Jr. said in a podcast video of the Asia CEO when asked for an outlook on the homegrown brand’s growth in five to 10 years.

For the international market, Magsaysay said Potato Corner is looking at having 10,000 stores over that period.

“We’re opening soon in Bangladesh and  Tibet,” he said.

To date, he said Potato Corner has 1,400 stores worldwide.

The   bulk of the  total stores  are located in the Philippines, while more than 200 are overseas.

Magsaysay said Potato Corner has more than 100 stores in Indonesia, 60 in Thailand and 35 in the US.

He said Potato Corner also has stores in countries including Canada, Singapore and Myanmar.

Majority or 80 percent of Potato Corner’s stores are held by franchisees.

“We wish to continue with that model because it’s a very resilient model especially during times of crisis,” he said.

As the  pandemic has forced many individuals to opt to stay indoors, he said Potato Corner also had to adjust the way it sells products to reach customers.

“Before the crisis started, we were not into deliveries. Now, 15 percent of our sales are from deliveries. And that is significant as far as Potato Corner is concerned,” he said.