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“We want to show our business partners that we are a business-friendly community and we really appreciate how they have contributed to our economic health as well as the growth of our store,” shares Metro Retail Stores Group chairman and CEO Frank Gaisano.

The MVP Awards in two categories, namely Supermarket and Department Store were handed out during the event. Under the Supermarket division are the awards for Economic Performance, Service Level, In-store Event Initiative, Innovation – Product Launch, and Supplier of the Year; while under the Department Store division are the awards for Economic Performance and Service Level. Coming out as the big winners were Monde Nissin Corporation, which was hailed supplier of the year; and Eric Manalili of Procter & Gamble Philippines, who was conferred with a Most Valuable Player recognition as outstanding key account manager.

Metro mounted the special affair dedicated to its partners, not only to toast their success together, but also to jointly welcome the next chapter in Metro’s story. “It is also our way of telling them that we would like to continue this partnership as we move forward and aggressively expand the company,” Gaisano adds.
Metro is owned and operated by Vicsal Development Corporation, a private family corporation. What started in 1982 as a two-storey department store and supermarket in Cebu City is now a premier home-grown retailer with 42 branches in Metro Manila, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Albay, Quezon, Lucena, Cavite, and Pampanga.

Throughout its three decades in the business, Metro has evolved into a company adopting a multi-store format: Metro Department Store, Metro Supermarket, Super Metro Hypermarket, and Metro Fresh ‘n Easy Neighborhood Store. It has also garnered acclaim from both the private and public sectors.

In the next three years, the retail company aims to soar new heights as it sets its eye on a 100-store target across the country.

Forging formidable alliances, which is one of Metro’s core values, was highlighted in the MVP Night. “This appreciation night is different because we have also invited the financial sector. “We are partners with a lot of mall developers and this is what distinguishes Metro from other key retail players,” notes Gaisano. “We are flexible. We are proud to have cemented partnership with the most reputable mall developers in the country today, namely Ayala Land, Incorporated, Megaworld Corporation, Eton Properties Philippines, and Filinvest Land, Incorporated. And most recently, Vicsal Development Corporation sealed a joint venture with Hong Kong Land.”

Vicsal Holdings Company group president and COO Cristopher Beshouri further stressed the importance of solid relationships: “Here in the Philippines, everything you do is based on relationships—It’s relationship first, business after. And I think Metro has always had good relationships and MVP Night is a celebration of it.”
Beshouri also tips his hat to the men and women behind Metro, who, according to him, have been developing the business “quietly, without fanfare, and in an incredibly effective way.” Bearing witness to the company’s steady rise to top, he expresses his desire to continue being a part of its future. “I really want to work with them because of the aspiration, values, and character that they have,” he says. “They want to grow, not just because they want to make more money, but because they want to shape something — they care and think about their employees, customers, and their role in the society.”

With the right vision, values, and alliances, Beshouri is positive that Metro can indeed reach new heights. “Keep your eyes on these retail professionals,” he ends. “In a decade, you’ll be talking about them in the same breath as the other premier conglomerates.”