SM Markets Inc. of the Sy Group said Friday it launched a smaller store format for Savemore to accelerate store expansion.
Savemore Express, a smaller store format with less than 1,500 square meters in floor area, offers basic essentials to customers. SM Markets said it already opened nine Savemore Express stores mostly located in commercial areas in Albay, Valenzuela and Bulacan.
It said another eights stores would open next year to cater to more communities.
“Similar to how our other formats came to be, we are always finding ways to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers. This has been more so during the pandemic, with the heightened need for safety and practicality and as people relied on local neighborhood stores for their food and other essentials,” Savemore Market president Genevieve Manalad said.
“We assume that these habits will remain even beyond the pandemic and Savemore Express was conceived to support this emerging shopping trend,” Manalad said.
The new Savemore Express format will have the weekly grocery needs of communities and offer an expanded line of fresh merchandise. These include commonly used produce, frozen meat, poultry, and a selection of prepared or ready-to-cook products from bestselling local brands and basic and essential food, personal care, and household products.
SM Markets, the umbrella brand for SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, and Savemore, said it had over 1,500 stores that as of end-September, including 206 Savemore, 9 Savemore Express, 60 SM Supermarket, 53 SM Hypermarket, and 1,201 Alfamart outlets.
SM Market is a part of SM Retail Inc., the retail arm of conglomerate SM Investments Corp