When your pantry needs to be restocked, you go the grocery, which is pretty much like a trip to the mall; you dress up, drive or commute, wait in the long cashier lines to pay then head home. And then there are times when you run out of ulam, shampoo, or any other product at an inopportune time and just need to do a quick run to the nearest convenience store.
No need to dress up and it’s most likely within walking distance, but the variety is pretty limited, and the prices are higher because it’s “convenient”.
For each shopping situation, you always rely on a different go-to grocery or convenience store. But what if you can rely on just one store? That’s where the Super Minimart comes in.
A Super Minimart is like a cross between a supermarket and a convenience store. It has everything you need for your home like meats, vegetables, canned food, grooming products and many more, while being just around the corner. But unlike convenience stores, Super Minimarts can match supermarket prices for most of their products.
Alfamart, the first and only Super Minimart chain in the Philippines, introduced this concept in 2014 when it opened its first location in Trece Martires, Cavite. Since then, Alfamart has rapidly expanded in various locations in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Pampanga, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and other locales in North and South Luzon. The Super Minimart chain will be opening its 800th store within the next couple of months.
“We wanted to create a store that is convenient, complete, and offers everyday low prices,” said Harvey Ong, COO of Alfamart Trading Philippines. “We always choose locations that are within walking distance or, at most, one tricycle away from where the local residents are because a Super Minimart is supposed to be accessible. We’d especially like to spare the housewives from the hassle of commuting to just get their needs,” he continued.
Alfamart is an Indonesian Super Minimart brand that has almost 15000 stores in its home country. Its founder, Djoko Susanto, wanted to bring convenient grocery shopping to his countrymen and soon found his company growing out into the Philippines with its partnership with SM Investments Corporation.
“More than business expansion, we share [Djoko Susanto’s] vision of developing communities and creating employment opportunities through Super Minimarts,” Ong added. “We want to be part of the growth of communities and improve the lives of local residents in our own little way, by providing them with a clean and comfortable place to shop for their everyday needs; without having to pay convenience store prices, or having to go far from home,” he concluded.