British coffee chain Costa Coffee will add the Philippines to its international markets.

The company is currently conducting a market research about the country and hopes to announce a local partner soon. It is looking to open up to 80 outlets across the country in the next five years, however the final number will depend upon the franchise partner, says Matt Kenley, Costa Coffee operations manager in SEA and India.

He said the increasing spending power of Filipinos, changing lifestyles, expanding economy and GDP growth are some factors driving the company to expand there.

Costa Coffee is owned by Whitbread PLC, UK’s largest hospitality company whose businesses include hotels, restaurants and coffee shops.

The coffee chain will face competition from Starbucks, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Bo’s Coffee, Figaro, Gloria Jean’s Coffee and Tully’s Coffee, among others.