Robinsons Convenience Stores Inc. (RCSI) said it will rebrand its Ministop stores to Uncle John’s, the name of its best-selling fried chicken.
The company said the new name is also a celebration of the legacy of its late founder, John Gokongwei Jr. of Robinsons Retail, the holding company of the convenience store chain.
“Uncle John’s has become a household name for consumers on-the-go, looking for convenient options without sacrificing quality and taste in food. Using it as the platform in the reinvention of our stores provides us with a stronger brand story that our customers can relate to,” said Suresh Ramalinggam, general manager of RCSI.
Ministop has taken pride in its strong ready-to-eat (RTE) assortment, led by Uncle John’s Fried Chicken. The new banner name was the winning entry in a contest held in April which asked for suggestions for a new name for the store. With over 80,000 participants, Uncle John’s came up as the top choice among the entries, the company said.
Uncle John’s stores will continue to carry other RTE bestsellers, such as Kariman, while it diversifies its menu and new food product offerings to the market. Customers can also rely on its convenient e-services and bills payment facilities as well as the availability of basic necessities.
In February, Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. acquired the 40 percent stake of Ministop Japan in RCSI. With this, RCSI is now fully Filipino-owned.
Ministop has struggled to compete in the country’s convenience store sector. According to its website, it has about 511 stores, fewer than 7-Eleven’s 3,019 branches and Alfamart’s 1,161 stores as of the end of 2021.
Its other competitors include Lawson, operated by the businessman Lucio Co with 55 branches as of 2020; Familymart, which was bought in 2018 by Davao businessman Dennis Uy and has 87 stores; and the AllDay convenience store of the Villar Group which has 73 stores.
In 2000, Robinsons Retail partnered with Japan’s Ministop Co. Ltd and Mitsubishi Corp. to establish the Ministop convenience store in the Philippines.
On August 28, 2018, Mitsubishi sold its entire 12 percent ownership in Robinsons Convenience Stores to Robinsons Inc. (RI) and Ministop.
As a result of the transaction, RI’s ownership interest in RCSI increased to 59.05 percent from 51 percent to 59.05 percent while Ministop ownership went up to 40.9 percent from 36.9 percent.
On November 4, 2019, Robinsons Inc. also purchased 18.94 million shares from Ministop Co. Ltd for P18.95 million. As a result of the transaction, RI’s ownership interest in Robinsons Convenience Store increased to 60 percent from 59.05 percent.