MANILA - Bounty Agro Ventures said Friday it planned to open up to 600 new Chooks-to-Go and Uling Roasters stores, as it prepared to expand in Southeast Asia.

Riding on robust consumption, the company hopes to grow its retail business by 70 percent, said its president, Ronald Mascarinas.

Bounty Agro will hire 330 people this year, bringing its workforce to 1,700. It ended 2016 with 1,500 stores, including two in Malaysia.

Mascarinas told ANC that the company planned to open a store in Indonesia this year and be present in the ASEAN region in the next five years.