Mini-Stop allots P300M for 60 new outlets

The Gokongwei-controlled Robinsons Convenience Store Inc. (RCSI) is putting up as many as 60 new Mini-Stop outlets in and outside Metro Manila, costing about P5 million each for a total of around P300 million.

Johnson Robert Go Jr., business unit group head of RCSI, said the group hopes to end the year with a total of 185 to 190 Mini-Stop stores compared with only 130 as of end-December 2005.

The new outlets will be located in Laguna and Pampanga, among others.

Go said Metro Manila is getting a little crowded, thus the need to branch out to the provinces. Most of the new outlets will be franchised, Go said.

RCSI has been aggressively expanding over the past three years in line with its objective of wresting control of the convenience store industry, a position long held by 7-Eleven, controlled by the President Chain Store Corp. of Taiwan. Go earlier said the company would need at least two more years to match 7-Eleven in terms of the number of stores.

7-Eleven currently has 256 outlets and expects its branch network to increase to 280 by yearend.

To attract more customers, Go said the group intends to introduce new services and products.

RCSI is a partnership between the Gokongwei group (JG Summit), Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. and Mini-Stop Co. Ltd.

Players expect the convenience store industry to flourish more in the next five years primarily because the country is not yet saturated with convenience stores particularly in Luzon.