Philippine convenience store chain plans expansion

MBV Retail Holdings Corp., the retail arm of the Philippines' Villar Group, plans to step up its convenience store expansion in the country. The company has announced that it wants to open 100 new All Day c-stores, which formerly operated under the Finds banner, by the end of the year.

The increased level of development comes after a number of retailers have recently announced either faster expansion plans in the Philippines or intensions for market entry. 7-Eleven, the convenience market leader, reached the 1,000 store mark at the start of this year and plans to add a further 300 stores by the end of 2014.

Robinsons Retail, one of the market's top multi-format operators, has announced that it wants to operate 500 Ministop franchise stores by the year end. This means that the retailer will have to open c.150 stores this year, a significant step up from the 28 it opened in its last financial year.

Japan's FamilyMart, opened its first Filipino c-store in Manila April 2013, with the retailer targeting 300 stores within the next five years and 1,000 within the next decade.

The parent company of leading Indonesian convenience retailer Alfamart has formed a JV to open stores in the Philippines, with 20 convenience stores to open by the end of the year and the potential to open around 300 by 2016.

All Day, which is owned by MBV Retail Holdings Corp., currently operates 75 convenience stores and will more than double its operation by the end of the year.