More outlets, more health

Personal care retailer Watsons Personal Care Store (Philippines) Inc. is expanding its branch network by boosting its presence both in shopping malls and community locations.

The company recently opened its 500th store and chose to celebrate this achievement in Cebu because of the store’s strong presence and high sales growth here.

“In Cebu, we are growing in double digits,” said Sharon Presbitero, Watson’s Group marketing manager. Cebu has 31 Watsons outlets, majority of which are based in shopping malls.

Watsons is set to open at least 30 more outlets before the end of this year, said Ma. Cecilia Canlas, the company’s marketing manager.

Generics

She said the company is planning to open 500 new outlets in the next two years.

According to Presbitero, the company’s direction is to be highly visible in the community through its health care business, Watsons Pharmacy, which also carries the Watsons Generics brand.

In the region, the Philippines is the only country where the company is more known as a beauty store, Presbitero said, but its roots in China are in pharmaceuticals.

“We will be opening more community pharmacies in the country,” she said, noting that in the coming months,
Watsons will be highly visible at street corners or busy markets, among other locations.

While Watsons stores across the country already have pharmacy sections, Presbitero said that the company saw the need to open more pharmacy-centric outlets to serve communities that don’t have access to affordable yet high-quality medicines.

Health line

“Watsons now offers a wide range of health products from prescription to over-the-counter medicines and health supplements,” said Presbitero.

Watsons in the Philippines launched Watsons Generics last year. About 10 to 12 Watsons outlets now have its presence in the community.

Presbitero said the brand is gaining acceptance in the market as more consumers are now open to buying generic medicines versus the branded ones.

“Before, we had to keep on pushing for consumers to buy generic medicines but as the years go by with market education and accessible information, it is the consumer now who looks for these generic medicines,” she said.

The price of a generic medicine is 60 to 80 percent lower than that of a branded medicine. Watsons also offer vaccination services for flu, pneumonia, and cervical cancer, among others.

Watsons Philippines is a joint venture of SM Prime Holdings Inc. and Hong Kong-based A.S Watsons & Co. Ltd.

Watsons, which operates both in Europe and Asia, carries 13 retail brands in 25 markets. It also has a network of 12,800 stores in 37 countries.