WITH food and other household items on steady or even increasing demand as the public continues to spend most of their time at home, big box supermarket retailer S&R Membership Shopping (S&R) is riding the pandemic on a positive note.
According to S&R President Anthony Sy, the year has brought the company to re-examine its operations while also realizing the returns of investing in strategic locations that ensured the constant flow of people who buy their goods. “Location has always been a main priority for us when picking a new spot for our branches. This year, we discovered how this factor really makes a difference in any business’s operational success,” he shared.
With three of its branches located in Ayala Land Inc.’s (ALI) master-planned estates in Bonifacio Global City, Nuvali, and Circuit Makati, S&R was able to capture key markets that saw value in their product offers and security in their spacious aisles in an era of face masks, face shields, and social distancing. Being at the center of integrated mixed-use developments also meant serving not only families living in the residential units or lots, but also office workers and other visitors who frequent ALI’s estate developments.
As Colliers shared in their most recent report, supermarket retailers like S&R will receive the bulk of the public’s spending capacity as individuals and families focus on buying medicines, groceries, and food and beverage over other items or luxuries. With this expected economic pattern prevailing until next year, S&R can expect constant product demand and foot traffic from their stores’ strategic placements.
Ayala Land Estates Assistant Vice President Cris Zuluaga noted how S&R’s presence in ALI estates enhances the livability and convenience for their buyers. Having a big box store affords residents, visitors, and workers in the area a reliable stop for all their groceries and home essentials and thus increases the value of being located in an ALI property. “To us at Ayala Land Estates, our partnership with S&R greatly benefits the public because we are able to provide a diverse and integrated lifestyle experience that accounts for their every need especially at a time when convenience and accessibility are big considerations for many,” Zuluaga stressed.
S&R’s footprint of stores with ALI estates also aligns with the expected next phase of development arising from the pandemic, as observed by Leechiu Property Consultants. According to the firm, there will be a surge in movement of people and businesses from Manila to the periphery, in light of density issues brought to fore by Covid-19.
Dubbing real estate as a “store of value,” Leechiu Property Consultants views commercial investments especially in upcoming growth centers as a foothold in long-term growth especially in rising urbanized locales. From this, Zuluaga added, “Our mixed-use developments outside of Metro Manila such as Altaraza, Vermosa, Nuvali, Alviera and Cresendo all offer exciting new possibilities for investors and locators who want to take advantage of being first movers in new and strategic locations. We maintain that real estate is still the best investment even at this time, especially when considering the capital appreciation expected from integrated mixed-use developments.”
For S&R, their partnership with ALI is one they see unfolding continuously over time especially after seeing first-hand the upside of being part of master-planned developments. “The benefit of locating in a master-planned community is that you can set your expectations based on the development proceeding as planned. This typically works out to be in the best interest of all businesses. A well-thought out plan and an organized community tends to generate more traffic and interest from the public,” Sy said.