Golden ABC Inc. (GABC), the parent of the fashion brands Penshoppe and Regatta, said that they are looking to expand their nationwide footprint by opening up to 100 stores yearly.

In a statement, GABC chairman and chief executive officer Bernie Liu said that they will be opened outside of Metro Manila.

He added that they are looking to expand its current profile of over 1,000 stores with over 1 million square feet of retail space covering the brands Penshoppe, OXGN, ForMe, Memo, Regatta, and Bocu.

“I do not have the exact numbers, but we should be looking at maintaining 50 stores a year, I suppose, 50 to a hundred new stores a year, hopefully,” he said.

“We go where the expansion goes. I think we are partners with the different malls around the country, so I think a lot of the expansion will be outside Metro Manila, and we will go where the opportunity brings us,” he added.

Liu meanwhile, said that he is optimistic that for the year even as outside factors such as overseas elections such as in the United States and geopolitical tensions involving China could impact global trade.

“Tayo naman sa Pilipinas (For us in the Philippines), so far, I think we have the opportunity to participate in the trade, in the global trade activity, so we’ll just have to keep a close watch on what’s happening,” he said.

“The tension in China, the election in the US, of course the war in the Middle East, all of that we’ll just have to monitor things closely, but I’m an optimist and I believe that the Philippines is well-situated to be able to take advantage of the continuing opportunities,” he added.