MABALACAT CITY—The first Schaffen store outlet in the country is now open in Barangay Ducquit here after its grand opening over the weekend.
Ria Enriquez, store manager, said the outlet store’s opening was timed for Australia Day on January 26, the official national day of Australia, since its owners are Australian, she said.
“Schaffen is a specialty store that offers a variety of power tools, hand tools, saws and other cutting tools, gardening tools, shovels and also items for storage and waste management, among others,” Enriquez said.
“Schaffen” is a German word meaning “to work” and pays homage to the famous “German quality,” she said. “Appropriately, it is a specialty store for the construction and building industry,” she added.
“With all the products and the tools we have, we always make sure it’s on a par with excellent quality much like what German engineering has been known for. So that’s our inspiration behind the brand,” she said.
The products are mostly imported, about 90 percent, but there are also products sourced locally, she said.
“We make sure the products we offer undergo a strict quality-analysis process and they are at par with the quality expectations. Pricing is relatively low as compared to the other markets before us,” she said.
During the grand opening, a car auction and HMR auction were packed with auctioneers. “Weekends are guaranteed to be packed because of the auctions,” she added.
Enriquez said Schaffen is a flagship store of HMR Philippines Inc.
“We put up the first Schaffen outlet in Pampanga because it is known as the construction and building industry haven,” Enriquez said, adding the company is planning to set up three more branches all over the country, particularly this quarter in Manila.
But she said Schaffen is not the first specialty store of HMR. Loro, also by HMR, is a specialty store that offers sports gears and equipment.
The Schaffen store is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Saturday.
HMR Philippines Inc. has been trading in surplus since 1992. Widely known as “The Trading Haus,” HMR is now a leading retail, trader and auctioneer with 11 retail establishments and three auction centers.