Coming soon: Sake, sushi in FamilyMart PH stores

MANILA, Philippines – The world’s second largest convenience stores will offer sake, sushi, katsudon and other Japanese foods in the upcoming FamilyMart convenience stores in the Philippines. 

At the launch of FamilyMart local chain on Monday, April 22, the Ayala and Tantoco-led Rustans groups said they plan to open 40 FamilyMart convenience stores in mega-Manila this 2013. 

Early April, FamilyMart opened early this month its first store in the Philippines, located at Glorietta 3 in Makati City.

Three more stores are being put up in Makati – at the Ayala MRT Station, Glorietta 5, and Dela Rosa Carpark 1 – while 4 more will open at Exchange Regency in Pasig, Global One Center in Eastwood, Metro Point Mall in Pasay, and The District in Cavite City.

FamilyMart stores are packed with a variety of select Japanese food items and ready-to-eat meals that aim to bring the convenience store experience to a higher level. Stores are equipped with WiFi connection, bills payment facility and restrooms.

Partners

Earlier, an executive of real estate giant Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) said they have earmarked P300 million for the rollout of 100 outlets of the Japanese convenience store chain.

Last November 2012, the 3 business groups — Ayala Land, SIAL CVS Retailers, Inc. (a joint venture between Ayala Land subsidiary Varejo Corp. and Rustans subsidiary Specialty Investments Inc .of the Rustans group), and Japanese retailing giant FamilyMart Co. Ltd’s parent firm Itochu Corp. — signed an agreement to bring operate FamilyMart chains in the country.

FamilyMart, which originated in Japan, is the second largest convenience store retailer in the world with over 20,000 stores in 8 markets: Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, China, USA, Vietnam and Indonesia.

The partnership is meant to tap Ayala’s expertise in retail operations that complement its mixed use real estate developments; Rustans’s Store Specialists’ expertise in specialty and branded retail operations; and Itochu’s trading business.

The two Philippine business groups are debuting into the convenience store business to rival the top two 24/7 chains in the country — 7-Eleven and Mini Stop. 

The convenience store market in the Philippines is currently served by 7-Eleven (Philippine Seven Corp.), Gokongwei-led Mini-Stop, some Mercury Drug outlets, Villar-owned Finds Convenience Stores Inc. (FCS) and gasoline station-based Shell Select, and Caltex Star Mart. 

Convenience stores and their local peers, the sari-sari stores, in the Philippines account for about 70% of the country’s grocery market value sales.

The abundance of traditional grocery retailers is largely due to the number of low income consumers, and their close proximity to consumers’ places of residence and work.

Employees of the burgeoning business process outsourcing (BPO) sector who work graveyard or daytime shifts are key customers of the convenience stores in urban areas nationwide. – Rappler.com