SM keen on Alfamart expansion

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December 15, 2025 | 12:00am

Eyes 250 new branches in 2026

MANILA, Philippines — SM Retail Inc., the retail arm of the Sy family’s SM Investments Corp., plans to continue the aggressive expansion of its minimart chain in 2026 as the company expects to end the year on a high note with consumer spending further picking up.

SM Retail president Jonathan Ng said the fourth quarter is always the strongest quarter for the company historically.

“There’s always a big pickup coming in December when the Christmas bonuses come in,” he said.

“Filipino consumers usually, with the Christmas bonuses coming in, they really spend time with their families and they go to malls and they go to the retail stores. We always remain hopeful when it comes to the Christmas season,” he said.

SM’s retail operations are the country’s largest and most diversified, consisting of grocery stores, department stores and specialty retail stores.

The company is also aiming to capture a bigger portion of the growing Gen Z demographic as it strives to reach new consumer markets.

Ng said SM Retail will continue to expand next year, noting that its stores will be present in new SM malls that will open.

“For next year, we’ll continue to focus on our strength. We always take a look at what are the trending items and we usually try to bring them into our stores. We’re always on the lookout and we continue to expand,” he said.

For Alfamart Philippines, Ng said the plan is to expand the minimart chain with the opening of up to 250 new stores next year.

SM was earlier looking at adding at least 200 new Alfamart stores in Luzon this year.

As of end-September, Alfamart has expanded to 2,337 stores nationwide.

“I know there’s still a lot of this political noise, but we always have a view of the long-term. So we continue to open,” Ng said.

Part of SM’s retail food business, Alfamart blends the convenience of a neighborhood store with the breadth of a supermarket.

The minimart chain offers a wide assortment of products catering to daily needs including a selection of basic groceries, SM Bonus products, fresh and frozen goods, snacks and personal care items at reasonable prices.

Since inaugurating its first store in the country in June 2014, Alfamart has successfully expanded across 11 provinces, including Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Pangasinan and Zambales.

It also has presence in 15 cities in Metro Manila.

Alfamart has also commenced its franchising program to provide micro, small and medium enterprises the opportunity to grow alongside its nationwide expansion.