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| Welcome to Alfamart Philippines' 1000th store at Barangay Santiago in General Trias, Cavite!! (Image Source: The Philippine Business And News/Alfamart Philippines) |
To say that 2020 was a trying year for everyone would be an understatement. While businesses, more particularly retail establishments, were either closing or downsizing, super minimart Alfamart has one thing on its mind and it is expanding to reach more communities. Alfamart prides itself of being a one-stop shop providing daily essentials accessibly to households. Its stores are a tricycle ride away from the communities they serve, underscoring the store brand's goal of making grocery shopping convenient for everyone.
Last year, the minimart opened its 1000th store in Barangay Santiago, General Trias, Cavite. Within the said year, a total of 267 Alfamart stores in different parts across the country have opened. The company could have stopped there, but Alfamart Philippines Chief Operating Officer Harvey Ong was looking at the bigger picture. “I felt in an environment where everyone is saying, ‘Don’t expand. Stop investing.’ I thought that wasn’t doing the business confidence any good. To recover, we both need the consumer confidence and the business confidence. I felt that even though we are a very small player in this big retail industry, having a brand that’s continuing to expand amidst the pandemic, hopefully will inspire a few people.” Ong and his team knew that there are people counting on them: the contractors who built the stores, the landlords who would not be paid rent, the tenants leasing a space within the store, the suppliers providing products for the store, and the communities in which the stores served.
With Alfamart's expansion going on full throttle, Ong turned to their dependable energy provider Meralco Biz Partners. Biz Partners, Meralco's segment that caters to the energy needs of small and medium enterprises, helped Ong and his team ensure the timely energization of their stores, which reduced their operating expenses and allowed them to expand their business amidst the pandemic. For their safety and convenience, Alfamart lodges applications for service via Meralco Online. An improved working relationship and constant communication has allowed both parties to power through any crisis. Ong emphasizes, “I think we have been opening stores like clockwork, and it’s really been close to the projections. That has enabled me to bring down the operating expenses and to slowly build the number of stores. In 2020, we opened a total of 146 stores within the Meralco franchise area. Our partnership with Meralco Biz Partners has enabled that to happen.”
The partnership with Meralco didn't stop there. Alfamart initially struggled with inventory management due to faulty internet connectivity that affected its communication. Wholly-owned Meralco subsidiary Radius Telecoms provided Alfamart's Distribution Center with fiber optic connectivity, ensuring smooth online operations for its central warehousing system. With Alfamart having found a formula that proves to work through the challenging year, what does it hope for the future? Well, Ong said, “We [Filipinos] pride ourselves as survivors. I hope the next generation changes that from survivors to winners. We shouldn’t just adapt to the new normal. You have to create a better normal.”
