“We are going to hit the 500 stores before the end of the year because we had 494 as of June,” Torres said. Torres said sales had remained strong for McDonalds stores since the second half of 2015 after the restaurant chain tapped celebrities Maine Mendoza and Alden Richard as endorsers and sold ‘Minions’ toys with meals. Sixty percent of McDonalds outlets are company-owned while the remaining 40 percent are franchise stores. This followed the opening of 29 new restaurants, re-imaging of 28 existing restaurants, business extensions and introduction of new products. Golden Arches vice president for marketing Margot Torres said in an interview the company’s expansion was focused on Metro Manila and provincial areas.

Source: The Standard July 17, 2016 15:56 UTC