Going fresh and French at Shopwise Alabang

MANILA, Philippines – When Shopwise opened in Alabang, its maiden store in its growing chain of hypermarkets, 10 years ago, shoppers were just so happy to discover — at long last — a one-stop shopping destination that’s got practically everything they needed, from fresh items to dry goods. And now, assorted hordes of loyal shoppers are rediscovering an even fresher, more exhilarating, and more mouthwatering Shopwise Alabang.

I must confess that I was one of the first shoppers who eagerly waited outside Shopwise Alabang when it first opened its doors one November morning in 1998. I was simply awed by the well-lighted aisles that were so wide you could skateboard through them, the near-impeccable layout of the shelves, the careful and thoughtful arrangement of the products, the great variety of merchandise, and not to forget, the very courteous service. Surely, Shopwise puts the “super” in the supermarket.

And here’s even fresher news. “We’ve renovated the store and strengthened a lot of areas like the produce or fresh section,” says George Anthony Domingo, store manager. “We tried to combine all the fruits and vegetables for the produce, and the ice creams, yogurts, and cheeses for the dairy section.”

Oui, Le Gourmet, a restaurant with a French twist, opened at Shopwise Alabang just last year. Now, you can dine and wine like the French. Shopwise Alabang gets fresher and Frenchier with its new assortment of products flown in straight from France by the company Belle France.

It can’t get any Frenchier than this: Belle France flies in hundreds of French products to Shopwise Alabang which include, hold your breath now: muesli, cereals, cornflakes, baking powder, marmalades, pate, duck terrine, cassoulet (white bean stew with meat), sausages and lentils, ready-to-fry and enjoy confit de canard (cured duck meat poached in its own fat), ratatouille, turkey, chicken, veal, cheeseburger, lasagna, pizza, frozen paella, couscous, soup, mayonnaise, vinegar, olive oil, coffee, coffee filter, tea, quiche lorraine, cookies, ready-to-bake cakes, crepes, chocolates, peanuts, ice cream, ice cream cakes, and of course, french fries.

With all the French ingredients and condiments available, you can whip up a gourmet feast at home and imagine you’re dining in a bistro in Paris.

Cassou what? Fret not — just because you can’t pronounce these tongue-twisting French names doesn’t mean you can’t afford them. George assures shoppers, “Since we get our products straight from the producers without having to pass through middlemen, our French products are 40-percent cheaper than comparable brands.” 

Did we forget something? Of course, there are the French wines. “People know that when it comes to wine, the French are superior so they can never go wrong with French wines,” says wine lover Frances Yu, VP-marketing, Rustan’s Supercenters, Inc. “A lot of times, our wines, especially the French wines, are 50-percent cheaper. Our Bordeaux, for instance, is only P385 and it’s a good wine you won’t be ashamed to give to a friend.”

The Vineyard promises to be the toast of the town. “We have a nice Chilean table wine that’s only P195,” Frances tells us as she walks us through The Vineyard of Shopwise Alabang. “During our store anniversary, we had a buy-one-take-one promo for cabernet sauvignon and merlot for only P195.”

“And our wines are kept at a temperature-controlled room (21°C) 24/7 to keep the quality of the wines,” George reveals.

The Vineyard houses an intoxicating selection of wines from different parts of the world like the US, Australia, Chile, Spain, Italy, and South Africa. They range in price from less than P200 to over P2,000 for the champagnes that would cost twice as much in other wine stores. For instance, a Veuve Chabert, which normally costs P3,000 plus, sells for only P2,185 at The Vineyard.

Frances notes, “People think of Shopwise as a place for one-stop shopping for all their basic needs. What they don’t know is that there are a lot of items here, which we call fine finds, or exciting products from all over the world that are offered at very affordable prices. For example, Le Gourmet is like a specialty store within a store. You don’t have to go to a specialty store to get your special sausages, imported cheeses, Spanish hams, etc. And we have a lot of products that have no comparison — we’re the exclusive distributor in the Philippines of Belle France products.”

Shopwise carries other imported labels from other parts of the world like the US (Springfield, among others), available at prices that are 40-percent lower than national brands.

“We’re also developing an imported frozen aisle where we have Wagyu, Aussie beef, etc.,” George shares more beefy news.

Surely fast sellers are the products in the Sure Buy section. Says Frances, “We don’t have just affordable imported products, we also have Sure Buy for those who are on a budget, actually for everybody because who isn’t cost-conscious these days? It’s our private label that includes products from paper to plastic to food. This brand is about 20-percent cheaper than the leading national brands, but they’re of comparable quality. This is something you really want to look at in times of economic crisis like now.”

Shopwise’s smart shoppers also save big during the store’s 10-day promo held twice a month. “The promo features anywhere from 500 to 1,000 products on sale at up to 70-percent off,” says Frances.

Shopwise has something for the health-conscious, too and it’s called Simply Healthy, where high on the list of favorites are the organic, sugar-free, low-fat, and low-carb items.

What else is cooking, or should we say baking, at Shopwise? But of course, the breads and pastries that are baked in the store that’s got two giant ovens! “We bake not just in the morning but three times a day so that whatever time of the day you drop by, you can get your breads hot and fresh,” says George, a walking encyclopedia of Shopwise facts and figures. “We’re baking some 1,800 pieces of bread a day.”

You’ll just love (as much as we do) the crusty oatie bread, multi-grain bread, pork/chicken empanada, whole wheat mini baguette, pizza baguette, hotdog in a bun, ham bread, tuna pan de sal, asado pan de sal, corned beef pan de sal, cream of chicken pan de sal, bread pudding, coffee/raisin bun, ham/pineapple roll, onion/bacon roll, open garlic bread, tuna turnover, mushroom turnover, creamy cheese delight, potato curry delight, walnut pie, apple strudel, and the list goes on and on.

A lot of the dough-licious bread/pastry recipes come from Divina Couvreaux, wife of Christian Couvreaux, chief operating officer of Rustan’s Supercenters, Inc. The couple shares a passion for good food.

For those on the go (and who isn’t in these frying, er, trying times?), there’s food-to-go at Shopwise. Bring home or to the office a roast pork belly or a chicken a la kiev or a cream dory, for instance, and you’ve got your instant lunch or dinner. Bon appetit!

And for homemakers, don’t just sit there. Head off to the new furniture section of Shopwise Alabang, where a lot of items are now on sale. For instance, there’s a buy-one-take-one promo on the comforters.

“Here, we have combined all the rugs, carpets, and ready-to-assemble, or what we call RTA, items,” George enumerates. “We have our hardware section, electricals, appliances, and home decor. And soon, we’ll be carrying cell phones, too, in our gadgets section.”

Say hello to a new, fresher, and Frenchier Shopwise Alabang!