MANILA, Philippines — Reaching a milestone can be both a celebration and a renewed challenge. That is what chairman-emeritus William Belo realizes about Wilcon Depot launching its 100th store in Lubao, Pampanga, on December 13, 2024, a full year ahead of its target date.
Although he has handed over the reins of Wilcon Depot’s day-to-day operations to his children and his most trusted senior management team, there is no stopping this man’s commitment to cascade his legacy of caring for the Filipino builder and sourcing premium products from local and global manufacturers. He is ahead of most of his employees at the office, encouraging them to provide the personalized service Wilcon Depot is known for.
A college dream
Building 100 stores may have been far from the mind of a young college student in the seventies. Armed with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, it took courage to start a business during the time of Martial Law.
“My idea when I was in college was to grow some kind of business. I started working in a hardware store as a college student at the University of Santo Tomas. Eventually, from being a salesman, I became part of the business operations. That gave me the idea to put up my own store, believing that it would mean an easier life for me and eventually my family,” Belo reminisces.
But the idea proved to be more difficult than he thought. Yet even at that young age and relative inexperience, Belo started off with a handful of colleagues and they did all the networking and hard work from the start. Failure was never an option.
“I had to make sure that I would be successful. With five to six years of hands-on experience, I felt competent enough to do it. I plunged into sourcing and securing credit lines from different suppliers. Then I started putting up the store. Gradually, the people came. I started with only four people—myself, two cousins and another person.”
Building bonds
The “store” was a 60-sqm structure along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City. Belo knew he had to immediately connect with his clients on a personal level to keep them coming to his store. For him, that is simply the Filipino suki (valued customer) way. That mindset is something that Belo has cascaded to his employees to this day.
He boasts, “We have customers that are so loyal to us—those from the '70s and the '80s. Eventually, when their own kids had families, they, too, became our clients. We now have first-, second- and third-generation clients.”
Belo adds that beyond good, caring service, they had to make sure that Wilcon would carry the right products for the evolving needs of his diversified clientele. Corollary to this, he made sure that his growing roster of employees was getting the proper training to impart informed and impeccable customer service as part of their corporate DNA.
Belo enthuses, “We now take pride in our Design Hub, which offers creative ideas and support to DIY enthusiasts, homeowners and industry professionals alike. It’s a combination of the right product and good salesmanship.”
Sell local, go global
Belo says that along with providing the Filipino building industry with the products they need, he remains fully committed to supporting local manufacturers. “During the Martial Law years, we were sourcing local manufacturers. Today, the global market is wide open. For us to source more product lines, we make it a point to go out of the country and attend international exhibits to find the newest and premium products for our customers,” he adds.
But Belo makes sure that Wilcon continues to support the local manufacturer. “Imported product lines should always complement local product lines,” he stresses.
Be where the people are
With the changing demands of the market, Belo knew that expansion would be the next logical move. “We already have the people, we have the products, the market is increasingly competitive and our products are reasonably priced,” Belo affirms.
He realizes that with the archipelagic composition of the country, it is complicated and costly for people to travel, even if they require specific products for their building needs. We must be where the people are. This is the main reason we expand and build more stores,” Belo emphasizes.
Belo admits that expansion is never an easy process. His management teams pour hours of lengthy and tedious discussions prior to each strategic location choice. He is especially mindful of how each store location can boost the local economy through employment. Then the company must ensure operational efficiency to guarantee seamless coordination and management across all branches. Finally, they must hire competent staff to sustain the Wilcon level of customer service.
People power
“In our case, the more difficult part is getting enough capable people to handle our many branches. We train our people, all our managers. They come in as salespersons and then they are trained to deal with our customers. They rise in rank and immerse in the Wilcon brand of service. That has always been our priority,” Belo shares.
Belo beams with pride when he talks about Wilcon’s talent pool. He muses, “As Wilcon Depot grows, our talent pool becomes bigger.” He says that, unlike a basketball team where player trades are quick and aplenty, Wilcon is focused on developing in-house talent.
Belo says he is extremely grateful for competent employees of the company who have imbibed Wilcon's work ethic. He emphasizes, “I am lucky I can get very loyal and good people. All our AVPs and SVPs, all of them come from the ranks—from the top down. Very few are sourced from outside. We also believe in sourcing locally. Hiring residents in the areas where our stores are located is one way to boost local employment. We see to it that 90-95% of employees are sourced locally,” Belo assures.
Belo’s unwavering support and passion to boost the economy through local employment is infectious. The bonds the employees build within the company are solid. So much so that even at the height of the pandemic, when most businesses were struggling to keep afloat and cutting jobs, Belo and his executive team maximized all efforts to retain their workforce even if it would entail a significant loss in revenue.
Beyond 100
As chairman-emeritus of Wilcon Depot and being at the helm of the country’s leading and most extensive supplier of home improvement and construction supplies, Belo waxes nostalgic about the company’s journey that spans almost half a century. With the 100-store milestone, he is often asked what is next in store for Wilcon Depot.
Belo takes time to relish the company’s journey and achievements. The entrepreneurial college boy with a dream in the '70s waxes cryptic. “100 stores in 47 years may seem a bit fast for many. But we still have lots of places that we can go to in the Philippines. If we have more talent, we could even do 200 or 300 stores. But of this, I am certain—we will continue sourcing good, reasonably priced products for the Filipinos and we will continue developing talents to help the company grow and allow our employees to have a better future, a better life.”
From a humble 60-sqm establishment to Big Box stores covering thousands of square meters each.
From a motley group of four persons to Wilcon Depot’s around 4,000-strong workforce spread across the country.
Without a doubt, it is Belo’s perseverance, entrepreneurship, integrity, and care for the Filipino builder and for his employees that form the core of Wilcon Depot’s success and the spirit behind the 100-store milestone.
Editor’s Note: This press release for Wilcon Depot is not covered by Philstar.com's editorial guidelines.