New player in the Philippine home improvement market

The Philippine home improvement market has a new player after grocery and department store operator Metro Retail Stores Group Inc. decided to join the fray. Metro Retail, which operates 64 supermarkets, department stores, hypermarkets and value marts around the Philippines, has announced the opening of its maiden home improvement store at Marquee Mall, Angeles, a city in the outskirts of the capital region of Metro Manila. The company is one of the top grocers in the Philippines.

Dubbed the Metro Home Improvement Store, the newest retailing format “marks a significant expansion for [Metro Retail], bringing a well-curated range of essential home improvement and enhancement products closer to homes”, the company said in a statement.

The inaugural outlet of the Metro Home Improvement Store spans 1,000 sqm and offers a selection of hardware, lawn and garden, car care, pet care, appliances, electronics, appliances, housewares, and storage solutions, the company added.

The format carries exclusive brands and product lines, boasts interactive displays and appliance demonstration areas that aim to elevate the shopping experience, and offers key vendor partnerships and exclusive collaborations for regular promo offers and unique finds, Metro Retail states.

Manuel Alberto, chief operating officer of Metro Retail, said that the move is a “monumental step” that is a key part of the group’s “aggressive” expansion strategy.

He added that the home improvement store complements the existing formats of Metro Retail. “We have ambitious plans to expand across various locations, continuously innovating and improving to serve our customers better. By pairing our home improvement format with our existing Metro Supermarkets, we ensure a seamless shopping experience that saves time and delivers quality products, all under one roof," he said. The company aims to have a network of 160 stores by 2027.

Other retailers to enter the segment

The move is reminiscent of earlier strategies by other Philippine retailers to establish themselves in the Philippine home improvement sphere. This year, Cosco Capital, the operator of Puregold, the Philippines’ largest grocery chain, is gearing up for the establishment of big format home improvement retail stores through a joint venture with Thai home improvement retailing giant Siam Global House. The joint venture company, Global House Philippines Inc., is slated to open its first two stores in the country at the end of 2024.

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