By Richmond S. Mercurio (The
Philippine Star) | Updated September 10, 2014 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines - The group led by
real estate tycoon Manuel B. Villar Jr. is mapping out an aggressive expansion
plan to bolster the presence of its purely Filipino convenience store brand
which the former Senate president has continued to take pride in.
In an interview, Villar told The STAR
that the group seeks to double the number of its All Day convenience stores
next year upon reaching 100 by yearend.
“We want to reach 100 (this year) and
from there, double and double each year,” he said.
All Day is being operated by All Value
Holdings Corp., a firm chaired by Villar. To date, the former lawmaker said All
Day has a network of 80 outlets across the country.
Formerly called Finds, the All Day
convenience store chain seeks to cater to the Filipino preference as it aims to
become a major player in the convenience store sector.
“All Day convenience store is the only
all-Filipino convenience store in the country, the rest are Japanese
franchises,” Villar said.
The country’s convenience store market
is currently led by foreign chains such as 7-Eleven, Ministop, Lawson and
FamilyMart which have partnered with local companies.
Villar said All Day would inject a
local taste to the existing foreign flavors offered by the other convenience
stores.
“We are still currently fine-tuning
its model but basically, everything you will see in other convenience stores
you will also see in All Day but with a true Filipino touch,” he said.
Aside from convenience store
expansion, All Value has earlier committed to open four AllHome branches
(Taguig, Sta. Rosa, Imus and Daang Hari) this year, an additional four by next
year, and four to seven more in 2016.
AllHome is a one-stop home improvement
store of the Villar Group. It caters to contractors, architects, interior
designers and homeowners by offering a wide range of products and services.
“We want to maintain a high pace, a
high rate of growth. We want to be a solid player in the retail sector by
2017,” Villar said.
The Villar Group, through listed real
estate developer Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., has become the country’s
largest homebuilder. In the past 38 years, it has completed more than 250,000
housing units in 31 provinces and 64 cities and municipalities around the
country.
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