Rustan's Supermarket reopens in Cebu City

Tantoco-owned Rustan's Supermarket re-opens in Cebu, after its 25-year old grocery store at Mango Avenue closed in January this year.

This time, Rustan's Supermarket Fresh is located in the southern part of Cebu, at the Paseo Center Cebu, within the 20-hectare Arcenas Estate in Banawa, Cebu City.

The 1,200 square-meter Rustan's Supermarket Fresh officially opened yesterday, returning with a new retail concept emphasizing on freshness of its food products.

"It's not a matter of size, it's a matter of the product quality that we are offering," said Jess C. Dilao, Rustan's Supermarket vice president.

According to Dilao, the company decided to locate in the southern part of the City, as this part has a big potential for customer traffic.

Although Rustan's Supermarket has its own captured market for years, because of its quality and hard-to-find product offering, he said the company is also taking advantage of the 43 percent of the residents in the southern part of Cebu that have strong purchasing power.

Dilao dismissed impression that Rustan's products are pegged at expensive rates saying prices are competitive.

First introduced by Rustan's, the innovative "Fresh Supermarket" concept will enhance and emphasize the quality and selection of fresh items.

"Cebuano consumers will be able to enjoy a greater and more varied range of fresh products, particularly meat, seafood, fruits and vegetables, dairy, deli and baked goods. Exclusive and hard-to-find imported and local products as well as special organic goods are also available," Dilao added.

Rustan's has inked a long-term lease deal with the Arcenas Group, he said. Rustan's Group, which is also a master franchisee for Starbucks Coffee, will also open a Starbucks Coffee shop at the area soon.

The Fresh Supermarket of Rustan's is the anchor store of the 5,000 square-meter Paseo Center Cebu.

The Paseo Center Cebu is the first large commercial development to be introduced in the southern part of Cebu City that provides one-stop-shop facilities for dining, entertainment, banking and ATM, health and fitness, beauty and fashion, travel and tours, electronics and communications, hardware and appliances, among others.

In 2007, the Rustan's Supermarket is targeting to open a bigger Fresh Supermarket outlet in Ayala Center Cebu (ACC) expansion project. Dilao added that the Ayala Center Rustan's Fresh Supermarket would be bigger than the Banawa-outlet, with 2,000 square-meter floor area.

Cebu Holdings Inc. (CHI) president and chief executive officer Rene Almendras earlier announced that Rustan's Supermarket will be the anchor supermarket store of the annex Ayala Center that will be interconnected with the existing shopping mall. CHI is the developer of Ayala Center.

He assured though, that the entry of Rustan's Supermarket in Ayala Center will not compete with its existing Supermarket tenant, the Metro Gaisano, as Rustan's has different and district market followers.