Alfamart Philippines, a leading minimart chain in the country, said over the weekend it is on track to expanding its retail network to more than 1,200 stores by the end of the year.
Alfamart Philippines chief operating officer Harvey Ong said in a statement the company remained aggressive with store expansion despite the pandemic. The group plans to open 200 stores in Luzon for this year alone.
“We continue to be guided by our company purpose of uplifting the lives of residents in underserved communities. We bring this to life by opening stores close to where our customers live and offering them a wide assortment of essential merchandise to address their daily and weekly needs,” Ong said.
Ong said Alfamart also aimed to have a bigger role in community development by supporting local entrepreneurs.
“We want every Alfamart store to benefit its local community by generating employment, providing rental income to its lessors and creating opportunities for local suppliers. We also enable local businesses – such as carinderias and sari-sari stores – who turn to us when they need supplies,” Ong said.
For its bigger stores, Alfamart said local entrepreneurs could set up businesses in the store vicinity to enable them to tap into Alfamart’s strategic locations.
“A growing number of bills payment kiosks, food kiosks and laundry shops, are already partnering with us to offer their products and services to our shoppers. Partnerships are especially relevant now that everyone is reeling from the economic effects of the pandemic. In our own way, we hope to support other individuals or businesses who need a hand to get back on their feet,” Ong said.
Alfamart is a joint venture between SM Investments Corp. and Alfamart Indonesia, one of the leading mini-market chain operators with more than 17,000 outlets in Indonesia.
Alfamart stores offer everyday grocery products including fresh and frozen foods and ready-to-eat items.
It utilizes its owns distribution system while leveraging synergies with the SM group.