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The growth expansion plans were unveiled in the first ‘Metro Valued Partners (MVP) Appreciation and Awards Night’ held last January 16 at the Skye Roof Deck in The Fort, Bonifacio Global City. Over 700 supermarket and department store suppliers along with key players in the banking and finance, mall developers, telco, realty and construction industries attended the momentous gathering.

Metro Retail Stores Group Chairman and CEO Frank S. Gaisano

“We look up to our partners as our allies in business as we embark on our growth expansion plans. It is only through partnership and respect for suppliers, bankers, communities, and especially our customers, wherein we can be absolutely successful,” shares Metro Retail Stores Group Chairman and CEO Frank S. Gaisano.

Metro hosted the MVP Night to show appreciation to its partners for their continued support and to celebrate their success together. “We would like to continue this partnership as we move forward and aggressively expand the company,” Gaisano states.

METRO has also cemented partnerships with the most reputable mall developers in the country today, namely: Ayala Land, Incorporated and Megaworld Corporation; and future partnerships with Eton Properties Philippines, Incorporated; and Filinvest Land, Incorporated. And most recently, Vicsal Development Corporation sealed a joint venture with Hong Kong Land. “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,” adds Gaisano.

Metro is owned and operated by Vicsal Development Corporation, a private family corporation. Founding patriarch Victor Gaisano and his wife Sally started the business from very humble beginnings with their children, Margaret, Jack, Edward and Frank.

METRO started from a simple goal, born of a clear vision: to be the retail store of choice in Cebu. Little did Victor and Sally Gaisano know that the investment on that simple branch in Colon, Cebu will lead to a business that would expand to other parts of the country as well.

In a span of 32 years in the business, the METRO Retail Group has transformed itself into a company encompassing multi-store formats: METRO Department Stores, METRO Supermarkets, METRO Hypermarkets and METRO Fresh ‘n Easy neighborhood stores; and has grown into a company of over 7,000 employees with 42 stores in 2013, and still counting.

In the next three years, the retail company will soar new heights as it plans to more than double its store network in three years. From its current 42 stores, the METRO retail chain embarks on an aggressive expansion plan of becoming 100 stores nationwide by 2017.

Amid aggressive growth expansion, the METRO Retail Group continues to advocate the importance of keeping its core values in which the company operates around. “We are proud of our Brand Authenticity: a defined heritage and history, and a well-grounded value set,” notes Gaisano.

The Metro Valued Partners (MVP) Awards were also given to top supplier awardees for the Supermarket and Department Store categories. Under the Supermarket category, awards for Economic Performance, Service Level, In-store Event Initiative, Innovation – Product Launch, and Supplier of the Year were given; while under the Department Store category, awards for Economic Performance and Service Level were conferred.

“Our vision to be the country’s retail value innovator has set the tone for us in terms of how we work and how we make decisions. We know that the challenge is to find equally bigger opportunities for our METRO Valued Partners,” stresses Gaisano.