By PNA and U.S. News Agency / Asian

Doughnut chain Krispy Kreme opened its third branch in Cebu, less than seven months since it opened its first store in the region.

Market manager Mark Gamboa said that after earning a good following from the Cebuanos, they were able to open their third store at the SM City Cebu.

Gamboa noted that the doughnut brand has become so popular in Cebu and he could not give concrete figures as to foot traffic for its Cebu stores.

“They come in thousands, every day,” he said.

One factor in the success of its Cebu stores is its location. The outlets are in malls and at the Cebu IT Park, which are mostly crowded.

Despite Cebu having a reputation for being a difficult market to penetrate, Gamboa said they had no reservations about opening in Cebu.

“It’s a different territory than Manila. Cebu has its own lifestyle, its own discipline. And we found a unique opportunity to gear out brand here in the Visayas,” he said.

He said it was mostly Cebuanos who gave them the idea of opening branches here because they were the ones who first started bringing boxes of doughnuts from Manila to Cebu.

Gamboa said the Filipinos’ need to share things they like by way of pasalubong is what made Krispy Kreme click in the country, as balikbayans from the US were first to bring boxes of the doughnuts for their families.

He said Krispy Kreme Philippines pioneered the packaging of boxes that are meant for takeout gifts, saying it is only here that such packaging is used.

They believe the location of their third store is strategic, as it allows passengers who go through the Cebu International Port and nearby terminals to drop by and grab a box of doughnuts before leaving Cebu.

Gamboa said they are eyeing branches in two SM malls slated to open in Cebu and at the SM Annex in Davao City.