Tag: Ministop

Antitrust notification for Robinsons’ full takeover of Ministop not needed according to Philippine Competition Commission (PCC)

Antitrust notification for Robinsons’ full takeover of Ministop not needed according to Philippine Competition Commission (PCC)

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If you have been living here in the Philippines, have you visited any branch of the Ministop chain of convenience stores lately? Did you notice that the term acquisition was more prominent recently in business news as of late mainly due to the Microsoft-Activision-Blizzard deal?

The point here is that another acquisition happening in the Philippines – Robinsons is set for a full takeover of Ministop (which itself is already majority owned by the said corporation) and an antitrust notification is not needed according to the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC). This was reported lately by GMA Network news.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the GMA news report. Some parts in boldface…

The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) said Tuesday Robinsons Supermarket Corp. does not need to notify the antitrust watchdog of its full takeover of the Ministop franchise in the country as the company already has majority control over the convenience store franchise.

“Based on PCC’s merger rules, the Commission acknowledges that Robinsons’ current majority stake in Ministop already affords them control, and Robinsons is no longer required to notify the proposed acquisition to the antitrust commission,” the antitrust body said in a statement.

On Monday, Robinsons Supermarket —a wholly-owned subsidiary of Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. (RRHI)— announced it will acquire the 40% share of Ministop Japan in Robinsons Convenience Stores Inc. (RCSI), effectively taking full ownership of the business.

RCSI is the exclusive franchisee of Ministop in the Philippines, with Robinsons Supermarket Corp. holding a 60% stake in the firm. It will continue to operate the stores with the Ministop brand, within a prescribed transition period agreed upon with the Japanese counterpart.

RRHI said the stores will continue to operate as Ministop until they are repurposed and appropriately rebranded, in consideration of its ready-to-eat offerings such as Uncle John’s Fried Chicken and Kariman.

The PCC said it received reports of Ministop Japan’s sale to Lotte, including its sale of its joint venture stake in the Philippines.

Nikkei Asia reported that the Japanese convenience store operator will sell its South Korean and Philippine businesses, after unloading a Chinese subsidiary in Qingdao.

The PCC, however, noted that it will look into Robinsons’ portfolio in the consumer retail sector which includes supermarkets, department stores, and community malls, among others.

“Merger reviews are focused on the effects and changes of market behavior in the hands of new owners or stakeholders,” it said.

“This transaction may result in a change in ownership of a significant portion of equity but it is not likely to have an effect on the economic behavior of the target firm,” it added.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What do you think about this business development? If you are a regular customer of Ministop, what do you think will happen once the full takeover by Robinsons happens? Do you think that the quality of the customer service and store facilities will improve? When it comes to convenience store competition here in the Philippines, how do you rate Ministop with the likes of 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson? Are you personally attached to Ministop’s branch?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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HOT STAR Large Fried Chicken in Alabang

HOT STAR Large Fried Chicken in Alabang

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If you are looking for fried chicken to eat here in South Metro Manila, there are plenty of places to find them such as Jollibee, KFC, Popeyes and McDonald’s among the many restaurants. You can even find fried chicken meals served in convenience stores like Ministop, 7-Eleven and FamilyMart. Rest assured the mentioned business joints provide a lot of fried chicken whenever you are in Las Piñas, Parañaque and Muntinlupa.

There is one food joint that stand out among them all – HOT STAR Large Fried Chicken Philippines. With its newest branch located inside Festival Mall in Filinvest City, Alabang, HOT STAR is making a comeback here in South Metro Manila. Previously they had a branch along Presidents Avenue, Barangay BF Homes in Parañaque City and I ate there a number of times while they lasted. That particular branch closed down a few years ago so it was nice to see them open a new one in Alabang (note: their space is shared with Dakasi).

The commercial space of HOT STAR with Dakasi.

For the newcomers reading this, the HOT STAR business started in Taiwan and has overseas branches. They are best known for selling the 12-inch fried chicken which has a nugget-like shape but really large and quite filling.

At their Festival Mall branch, I had two stops there. The first time I was there, I joined the line to order myself a meal composed of their signature 12-inch fried chicken (referred to as the Signature XXL Chicken), rice and a drink. When asked for what type and what flavor the chicken should be, I chose the original type flavored with salt and pepper. Soon enough I got served and went to a vacant table.

The 12-inch signature fried chicken of HOT STAR.

Looking at the 12-inch original, salt-and-pepper fried chicken, it really was exactly as I remembered what was served to customers at the previous branch in BF Homes. It was also a bit challenging to cut into pieces given its formation and texture, so there were moments when I had to take the chicken by hand and pull it apart before trying to cut it into pieces with the plastic utensils.

As before, the 12-inch signature fried chicken is pretty tasty on its own. It was tasty enough, I did not bother to use any condiments. What is also notable about it is that it sure has a lot of content of chicken meat to consume. In fact, it was more than enough to fill the stomach. While this might sound unusual to you, this is pretty normal given my previous dining experience at HOT STAR BF Homes. That being said, I had a tasty and really satisfying meal there at HOT STAR Filinvest.

A few weeks later, I returned to the Festival Mall branch mainly to take home one of their newer foods – the Cheese Bomb. After driving home with the chicken from the mall, I got home and placed it on a plate.

This is what the Cheese Bomb looks like on the outside.

On the surface, the Cheese Bomb fried chicken has a different shape compared to the signature fried chicken. It looked ordinary on the outside but it is the cheese content inside the makes the big different not only in terms of content but also on flavor. As I ate the Cheese Bomb, I really felt that fine combined taste of fried chicken and cheese in my mouth and it only made me want to keep consuming until it all ran out. I got my money’s worth.

The cheese of Cheese Bomb exposed.
A closer look at the Cheese Bomb. The cheese itself is tasty.

To put it in short, I can say that the 12-inch signature fried chicken and the Cheese Bomb were both well cooked by HOT STAR Festival Mall and were properly prepared. It is notable that the two fried chicken variants were pretty flavorful respectively which shows that the cooks made them with the utmost care for me. As such, I highly recommend the 12-inch signature fried chicken and the Cheese Bomb to anyone who loves fried chicken. I got my money’s worth and so should you.

So if you happen to be in the Alabang area and you crave for fried chicken, you should visit HOT STAR at Festival Mall. They are on the ground floor level of the mall. Keep in mind that HOT STAR has several other types of food to offer such as spaghetti, rice bowl meals, burgers and fries, and chicken wings to name some. HOT STAR is a standout among the sellers of friend chicken here in South Metro Manila.

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