Watsons to open 20 more outlets in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - Health and wellness retail chain, Watsons Personal Care Stores (Phils) Inc., targets to open at least 20 more stores before the year ends, focusing its expansion in the secondary urban centers and provinces across the country.

Recently, the SM Group partly owned Watsons opened its 258th store in Cebu, located at the newest mall in the metropolis, the “J Centre” in Mandaue City.

According to Watsons Philippines chief operating officer (COO) Robert Son, the company, which is a joint venture between AS Watsons Group in Hong Kong and SM Group, plans to put up at least five more Watsons store in Cebu, and also will make presence in other areas in the Visayas and Mindanao, such as Iligan, Dumaguete, Tagum-Davao, among others.

Now on its nine years of providing affordable personal necessities in beauty, health and wellness categories, Watsons growth registered at 10 percent average per year.

Despite fierce competition in this kind of retail category, Son said the company is confident to sustain its leadership in the market, owing the company’s strong brand, with more than 2,000 exclusive products.

Watsons is operating in three different store formats; these are the stand-alone (health and wellness) store, pure pharmacy, and all-beauty store.

According to Son, about 80 percent of the Watsons customer profile, are shoppers that need to have “me time” shopping, these are usually women and men who buy their personal needs for health, beauty and wellness products.

Meanwhile, although the trend for organic-based products is on the rise, Son said Watsons is not yet ready to provide wide array of this kind of product choices, while the Philippine market still cant afford to fully embrace the all-organic products.

He said big chunk of Filipino consumers still prefer quality, yet affordable personal-necessity products. At this time, organic products are still expensive for the mainstream market to embrace.

However, Son assures the quality of Watsons products, specifically those that are being exclusively distributed by the chain. He said quality standard is strongly implemented by the international Watson’s operations.

At present, the chain is employing a total of 3,500 personnel. It is expected to increase its manpower pool, as it continues to expand in different areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Today, Watsons H&B Asia is the lealding health and beauty chain in ther continent with successful operations in nine markets in the region including Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea Taiwan and the Philippines.

In 2002, AS Watson Group joined hands with SM Prime Holdings Inc., in a joint venture deal. The partnership brough about the first Watsons stores in SM Megamall and The Podium (Ortigas). The Philippine operation is serving more than 100 thousand customers per day. (FREEMAN)