Packworks, a Filipino tech startup with an app ecosystem for sari-sari stores, reported a 32-percent rise in active users to 175,000 sari-sari stores on its Sari.Ph Pro app in 2024 from 133,000 stores in 2023.
“The surge in the number of stores recorded in our app is a testament to the savvy entrepreneurial spirit of these businesses, which are the grassroots foundation of local economies. As they thrive, they create jobs, stimulate the local retail ecosystem and contribute to the overall economic development of the Philippines,” said Packworks founder and chief executive Bing Tan.
Western Visayas led the growth with a 62-percent increase in transacting stores, followed by CALABARZON with 50 percent, the Bicol Region with 47 percent, Central Luzon with 26 percent and Central Visayas with 21 percent.
The highest transaction spikes occurred between September and December, coinciding with the peak ‘ber’ months in the Philippines.
Overall, the country saw an average 12-percent increase in transacting stores, it said.