Fruitas opens 100th store

MANILA, Philippines —  Fruitas Holdings Inc., the listed food and beverage kiosk operator, is opening its  100th store,  71 days ahead of its  target for community store openings.

It is targeting to double its community store network to 200 in 2022, aligned with its thrust to provide healthy and fresh products to its customers daily,

Fruitas Holdings president and CEO Lester Yu opened community stores to adapt to “the new normal” brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 100th community store will be under the brand Balai Pandesal in Parañaque City which sells freshly baked bread.

Fruitas has expanded Balai Pandesal’s network to 33 outlets from five since June 2021.

“Community stores allow us to have more flexibility in our operations especially with the constant changes in quarantine guidelines. We are more accessible to customers residing or working nearby and the larger format stores also act as hubs for our delivery services,” Yu said.

The recent reclassification of quarantine restrictions in NCR has allowed the company to reopen more stores,  bringing total active stores to about 90 percent of its network as of Oct. 22.

Yu said, the company is well-positioned to reopen more stores with the continuous easing of quarantine restrictions and general improvements in the pandemic situation in the country.

In line with the reopening of more stores, Fruitas continues to encourage its employees to receive COVID-19 vaccines and as of date, is close to vaccinating 100 percent of its workforce before the end of 2021.

With over a thousand employees nationwide, the company has vaccinated over 90 percent of its store personnel while 100 percent of commissary and head office personnel have received their COVID-19 vaccines.

“As advocates of health and wellness, it is essential for us to provide a safe environment to all our stakeholders while enjoying our healthy and fresh products such as Fruitas, Jamaican Pattie, Soy & Bean, Sabroso Lechon, and more. We must ensure that all our stakeholders are safeguarded against COVID-19 and any adverse effects it may cause, as well as keeping everyone in their household safe from the virus,” Yu said.