Alfamart Philippines, SM Retail’s first super minimart grocery chain, aims to expand its stores to a total of 1,400 by the end of 2022 as it actively looks for sites in terminals and residential communities.
In a statement, the firm said that it hopes to open more Super Minimarts in communities across Luzon through partnerships with local property owners.
Alfamart has built a legacy of purposeful expansion since it opened its first store in the Philippines in 2014.
It continues to play a big role in community development by being the provider of daily essentials that neighborhoods could count on and by supporting local entrepreneurs.
“Our dream for every Alfamart store is to help the local community through employment and also creating opportunities for the local MSMEs,” said Alfamart Chief Operating Officer Harvey T. Ong.
Alfamart has opened more than 500 new stores during the past two years since the pandemic started in 2020.
“This health crisis reinforced our role and responsibilities to the communities. Throughout the tightest of lockdowns, we decided to remain open and continued with our expansion,” said Ong.
He noted that, “As a result, we created income opportunities for the landlords that own space and contractors that build the stores. In this manner, Alfamart’s expansion has created over 4,000 jobs over the last two years.”
With customers putting more importance to accessibility to essential goods and convenience especially during the pandemic, Alfamart continues to save the community time and fuel, especially at this time when oil prices are spiking, as customers could purchase what they needed close by.
Being near a residential community also provides that sense of comfort to residents who consider an Alfamart store as an extended pantry.
“By opening stores close to where our customers live and offering them a wide assortment of essential merchandise, we hope to uplift the lives of ordinary Filipinos,” Ong said.