Gaisanos boost foothold in Colon with 2nd Metro

CEBU, Philippines - After enduring three decades of retailing at the oldest street in the country, Super Metro is now ready to give birth to a new Metro store in Colon — a venture seen to further advance the stronghold of the Gaisano-led chain in downtown Cebu.

Inspired by the huge success of the original Gaisano Metro Colon which originally opened 31 years ago along Colon Street, top officials from Vicsal Development Corporation yesterday revealed that a new Metro store with a hypermarket format will open in the first quarter of next year, still along Colon.

Edward Gaisano, member of Vicsal’s board of directors, said the construction of the hypermarket is still in progress but cleared out they are on track with their schedule. The proposed store will also be situated at the corner Junquera Street.

Gaisano said they believe the market near the downtown area has not reached to saturated levels just yet. This coupled with the area’s high foot traffic prompted them to consider opening a new store.

Asked to describe the retail scene in Cebu, Gaisano answered it’s “exciting because a lot of retail people who are served via traditional shopping still have to be introduced to the modern shopping.”

Metro in Lapu

Yesterday, Vicsal opened Super Metro Lapu-Lapu City in Barangay Pajo, its second active store with a hypermarket concept in Cebu, following the opening of a similar store in Bogo City about two weeks ago.

Over 13,000 stock-keeping units and about three to four thousand imported products are available for retail at the new branch.

The compact mall, which incorporates a department store to a supermarket, also houses a lotto outlet, foreign exchange stall, bills payment, beauty salon, optical shop, bakery and an amusement center.

It also features the first walkalator in Lapu-Lapu City inside a retail store with parking space having more than 30 car slots.

Officials said this Super Metro store spans a gross floor area of 15,800 square meters and a selling area totaling 5,874.60 square meters.

Gaisano said the retail sector has not reached a dead-end as the market is always there, adding “we have to introduce modern shopping to these markets.”

Gaisano said their newly-opened Lapu-Lapu branch will now add to their roster of six big format stores. It also provides employment to over 400 residents within the area.

The store is also equipped with closed-circuit television cameras to further boost security, Gaisano said.

Metro Supermarkets and Hypermarkets managing director Eric Poiret, meanwhile, announced that the next branch they will soon be opening is at N. Bacalso Avenue in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City. It is targeted to open before the year ends.

Poiret said that the upcoming opening will be part of their aggressive efforts to expand to many other key areas in the Philippines while they extensively develop the “hypermarket concept.”

In 1982, the company opened its first department store along downtown Colon Street and P. Lopez Street and Osmeña Boulevard, a major thoroughfare.

According to its website, despite being in the toughest retail arena in the nation at the time, Metro Colon developed a huge following among Cebuanos.

Consequently, what started as a three-level building was upgraded to a seven level department store and supermarket after only two years in operation. (FREEMAN)