SSI Group Inc., the country’s largest specialty store retailer, said it will add Chinese restaurant chain Crystal Jade in its fast-growing food and beverage portfolio.
SSI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it signed a territory agreement with Crystal Jade Management Pte. Ltd. for it to own and operate Crystal Jade restaurants in the Philippines.
This will include Crystal Jade’s successful international concepts Crystal Jade Golden Palace, Crystal Jade Hong Kong Kitchen, Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao and Crystal Jade Go.
SSI said of the four international formats, it would initially open Crystal Jade Hong Kong Kitchen in the first quarter of 2020 at Central Square in Bonifacio Global City.
“The strategic partnership with SSI group is yet another proud moment for Crystal Jade,” said Douglas DeBoer, chief executive of Crystal Jade Culinary Concepts Holdings.
“We are excited to join in partnership with such a renowned specialty retailer which has successfully brought so many iconic international brands to the Philippines. Crystal Jade is dedicated to bringing authentic, quality Chinese cuisine to contemporary audiences around the world, and we look forward to delighting consumers across the Philippines very soon,” DeBoer said.
SSI said the agreement was in line with the company’s thrust to bring the best of what the world has to offer closer to the Filipino consumers.
“We are very excited to be partnering with Crystal Jade to open their unique international Crystal Jade restaurant formats in the Philippines,” SSI president Anthony Huang said.
“The opening of Crystal Jade in the Philippines is aligned with our desire to provide consumers with complete lifestyle offerings through global partnerships that cater to the eclectic and sophisticated taste of the Filipino consumer,” he said.
Since its foundation in Singapore in 1991, the Crystal Jade group has been recognized as a Michelin one star brand in Singapore for three consecutive years (2016 to 2018) and received multiple Michelin Bib Gourmand commendation awards for its locations in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
SSI’s food and beverage portfolio currently includes Shake Shack and TWG Tea.
The SSI Group currently maintains a portfolio of 107 brands.