Sweet tooth
One can find the most colorful and yummy bonbons at Candy Corner
By Anne dela Cruz

Ricardo and Rosemarie “Bubu” Andres’ Candy Corner was not their first entrepreneurial venture. They had been into importing goods since 1991, starting out with toys and novelty items.

Almost at the same time, the couple was awarded exclusive distributorship of Lisa Frank’s line of stickers and stationery. They managed to open their own outlet in Glorietta, Makati and found stores that would carry their line of imported stickers and stationery. But since they did not want to compete directly with their clients, they decided to open a candy store instead.

“We raised the idea of opening a candy store, one that would sell novelty candies,” Bubu said. “They liked it and we submitted our concept paper and we opened our first outlet in 1996.”

When they were starting out, Bubu recalled it was just herself, Ricky, and two sales girls. They had to do everything—purchasing, selling, and deliveries. To choose the candies that would be sold in their outlet, Bubu tastes all of them.

“As you can see for yourself, we had to taste everything,” Bubu said with a laugh. “We had to make sure that they were really of good quality.”

The response to the first outlet was so overwhelming that their inventory was wiped out by November. From the earnings they made with the first store, Bubu said they were able to open a second branch in SM Megamall a year later.

A big challenge came to Candy Corner in 1999 when the warehouse they were renting in Pasig was burned down to the ground. Although they already had 12 outlets at that time, they literally had to start from scratch.

“That was really the lowest point of the business because we had to transform our garage into a warehouse and part of our house was used as the office,” she recalled. But it was during those trying times that Bubu saw the dedication of her staff. None of her staff rendered overtime at work and they were able to slowly build up the business.

“It was a good thing that we already had 12 outlets at that time so we were able to get a loan from the banks,” Bubu said.

Through hard work and perseverance, Bubu and her staff were able to slowly pick up the pieces and rebuild Candy Corner. Their efforts paid off because in 2000, they were able to get into franchising.

They now have 54 outlets, 23 of which are franchises. A Candy Corner franchise costs around P300,000.

What makes Candy Corner stand out from the competition is its merchandising and product variety. This, Bubu attributes to the network of distributors they have developed over the years. Candy Corner’s best sellers are what Bubu calls the classics like gummy bears, gummy wriggles, and strawberry beans.

“There are some candies that can only be bought on a wholesale basis, which is why we have to buy them in bulk,” she said. “We have peak seasons like when school is out and Christmas.”

When they were starting out, their candies were priced at P39 per 100 grams. With a weakening peso and economy, Bubu said they have had to peg it at P45 per 100 grams.

“The Philippines is such a small market compared to the other countries so it is quite difficult to import candies,” she said. “It usually takes a while because our volume is not so big.”

Bubu’s plans for Candy Corner is to continue expanding nationwide and hopefully, internationally. So far, they have branches in Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, and Iloilo.

For those who plan to put up a similar business, Bubu advises to be dedicated to the business you are putting up and to stay focused on your goals.

“It is so easy to be swayed because of what might happen but if you stay focused, all your hard work will pay off in the end.”

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