Villar group opens retail holdings firm

The Villar group of former Senator Manuel B. Villar announced its plans to expand its retail business with the establishment of the P1-billion MBV Retail Holdings Inc., which will focus on expanding its convenience store, home appliance and furnishings and department store businesses.

Villar said over the weekend that MBV Retail will handle All Day, the group’s convenience store concept, as well as All Home, its home appliance and furnishings outlet counterpart. MBV Retail will also handle department stores which operate in shopping malls owned by Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc and Starmalls Inc., both also owned by the Villar family.

Among the goals of MBV Retail is to have 100 All Day stores by the end of the year, and eventually double the number by 2014. All Day replaces the Finds Store, which was the original name of the group’s convenience store business.

All Day will aggressively compete with leading convenience stores 7-Eleven, Ministop and FamilyMart, which are all Japanese convenience store brands, Villar said.

He also revealed that All Home will close four small outlets this year in preparation for the opening of four to five big stores next year.

Villar said All Home is envisioned to provide good synergy with the residential developments of Vista Land. According to Villar, home buyers can choose various furnishing packages in order to decorate their homes. The packages can then be paid in installments.

For the department store business, Villar said the expansion would largely depend on the construction of Vista Malls and Starmalls. MBV Retail is also planning to venture into development of office buildings catering to the growing business process outsourcing sector.

Villar said the company is willing to acquire plans for the planned office towers.

Meanwhile, Vista Land over the weekend opened the 30-hectare Paseo de Andalusia, a village center in San Fernando, Pampanga. The project contains house and lot projects from various residential brands as well as commercial developments to service the needs of residents. — PDC/BM, GMA News