Robinsons Retail Opens First Little Marketplace Store in Boracay
In this article (4)
Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. (RRHI) expanded into convenience retail on Oct. 30 with the opening of its first Little Marketplace store at Henann Crystal Sands Resort in Boracay.
Located in Station 1, the beachfront outlet operates daily from 7 a.m. To 10 p.m., condensing the group’s upscale supermarket format into a smaller footprint tailored for both residents and visitors.
The pilot store carries specialty groceries, ready-to-eat meals, fresh food, beverages, and travel essentials alongside a Pick & Grill counter for on-site meat preparation and an alcohol-serving bar.
Combining Groceries With Foodservice
The concept departs from standard Philippine convenience chains, which lean almost entirely on ambient packaged goods, single-serve snacks, and basic hot counters. By embedding prepared food service into a small space, the company wants to turn quick grocery stops into sit-down dining occasions that lift basket sizes well above typical convenience tickets.
Store operations draw inventory directly from the supply lines of The Marketplace, the group’s full-line gourmet supermarket banner. The pilot relies heavily on tourists willing to spend metropolitan supermarket rates while staying on an island where logistics add substantial distribution costs.
Pressures on Island Logistics
Operating a premium fresh food counter on Boracay carries operational friction that mainland supermarkets rarely encounter. Chilled meats, draft beer kegs, and perishable ingredients require consistent cold-chain transport over sea freight, leaving margins exposed to shipping disruptions and power fluctuations.
Robinsons Retail is betting that beachfront location inside a major resort complex offsets those overheads through bar sales and premium markups.
Extending The Marketplace Brand
The parent firm built The Marketplace around upscale urban centers, stocking imported specialty lines, cheeses, and butchery products for middle- and upper-income households. Little Marketplace strips out the center-store dry goods and broad household categories of those full-sized supermarkets, retaining only high-turnover pantry items, alcohol, and fresh proteins.
Executive leadership identified tourism hubs as the primary testing ground for the condensed model, citing shifting habits among travelers who want convenience without downgrading from gourmet grocery offerings.
“We believe this format addresses growing demand for premium yet accessible retail and dining experiences,”
Said Christine Tueres, RRHI managing director for food segments, big formats.
Next Steps for the Pilot
RRHI framed the Boracay location as an operational test before rolling the format into other domestic tourist corridors and lifestyle developments. Executives have not released capital expenditure figures or specific store count targets for Little Marketplace.