Traditional trade still dominates FMCG retail sales
Despite the limitations in movement across the country, the majority of Filipino consumers still purchased goods from offline or brick-and-mortar stores. This includes traditional trade, big format modern trade outlets, and modern proximity channels. Traditional trade includes small grocery stores that sell a variety of goods of limited assortment and are usually located close to consumers. Big format modern trade, on the other hand, has a better variety of grocery items and sells apparel and other durable items in a warehouse environment. Among the popular outlets of this format are Puregold, SM, and S&R. Finally, modern proximity refers to minimarkets and convenience stores which are usually open for longer hours, such as 7-Eleven and Minimart.Sari-sari stores are also popular offline sales channels for many Filipinos. They are micro-enterprises commonly found in smaller communities and rural areas. These stores typically employ family members, with a starting capital of as low as 30 thousand pesos. The most common products sold in these stores are drinks, sweets, and canned items such as sardines, corned beef, tuna, salmon, and cooking oil. Sari-sari stores had the highest value share to total FMCG, followed by supermarkets and hypermarkets.
