Savemore shopping for Acacia Estates residents

MANILA, Philippines - Acacia Estates, a township project currently consisting of six-themed residential communities in Taguig City, is the site of the first Savemore outlet to be built within a DMCI Homes development. The venture is between DMCI Homes and Savemore Market of the SM Food Group.

“We have partnered with DMCI Homes to give a holistic shopping experience” for residents of Acacia Estates, says Jojo Tagbo, EVP-Savemore operations. SM’s compact supermarket will function as an anchor neighborhood store, providing access to quick and easy shopping for the community. Aside from offering wet and dry goods, the one-stop shop will have facilities for modern essentials like bills payment and currency exchange.

DMCI Homes has distinguished itself by building communities for young families aspiring to live within comfortable distance of work, study, and leisure. “There is a preference to integrate various lifestyle aspects to make everyday family living more balanced,” says Dennis Yap, project development manager of DMCI Homes.

Savemore Market will join other retail outlets in the Town Center located at the heart of Acacia Estates, all within a few minutes’ reach of existing and future residents there. The Town Center itself is approximately 25,000 sqm. with a design theme emanating from the area’s focal point: a heritage house that will be restored as a township art centerpiece to showcase DMCI Homes’ appreciation of history, as well as modern design and engineering. It will retain elements such as its original narra planks, and other architectural accents. The ancestral house is adjacent to Savemore, and although the grocery store will not entirely adopt the mansion’s old-world scheme, the supermarket will remain consistent with the overall theme through attributes like color motif, according to Yap.

“The concept is ‘convenience meets inspiration.’ We are invested in the well-being of our residents, that’s why we cultivate genuine resort-type settings in our projects. People will experience this to be true even within the Town Center in Acacia Estates,” adds Yap.

The developer’s special emphasis on wide-open spaces is evident around the perimeter of the Town Center. “We could have extended the store along the road,” Yap reveals, “but we decided to dedicate more space for landscape and greenery so the resort vibe flows seamlessly from the living spaces into the commercial zone. The roads are pedestrianized; they’re safe for walking and biking.”

Acacia Estates caters to some 5,000 households, and around 47 percent have an average of two kids in their teenage years or under. “This is a generation of young families that take responsibility for their own advancement. On the part of DMCI Homes, we want to provide a supportive environment to help them stay on track while bringing ease into their lives through a good mix of services and retail establishments that cater to all their primary needs,” Yap say.

According to Tagbo, the retail environment today is very dynamic. Filipino customers have become more discerning; they’re demanding better choices, value for their money, and a pleasant shopping environment. He says there is an opportunity to take to the next level the store’s “present positioning as a neighborhood store to cover more areas including residential and commercial property development projects, and continually introduce new concepts to enhance and reinvigorate the shopping experience of consumers.”

“Our residents are already very excited about it. They’ve been asking when the store will open,” says Yap. Savemore Market in Acacia Estates is targeted for completion and full operations by mid 2013.

“By providing what the residents of Acacia Estates are looking for, which is shopping convenience,” says Tagbo. “Savemore Market reinforces DMCI Homes’ corporate philosophy that is anchored on a deep understanding that buying a home is more of an investment in a better way of living.”