Maria Santos

About Maria Santos

Maria Santos reports on the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, covering grocery, convenience and the rise of social commerce across emerging Southeast Asia. She writes on how Alfamart, Indomaret, SM Retail and Puregold are competing with fast-growing online platforms for the region's young, mobile-first shoppers. Maria began her career in Manila covering FMCG and listed conglomerates, and has since expanded her beat to include TikTok Shop, Shopee and Lazada. Her reporting focuses on informal retail, sari-sari and warung digitisation, and how brands are re-thinking distribution for archipelagic markets. She is a familiar face at retail conferences in Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City, and regularly speaks on Southeast Asia's consumer story. Maria studied journalism in the Philippines and has reported from more than a dozen provincial markets to understand what actually sells outside capital cities. She is happy to hear from operators, brand founders and investors working across ASEAN grocery, convenience and social commerce.