On April 10 (Wednesday), customers flocked to Heyday for discounted prices on Farm to Fresh produce! With sustainability and health-consciousness increasingly at the forefront of consumer priorities, Heyday’s promotion under the Fresh category struck a chord with a diverse array of shoppers. 

With each basket brimming with fresh, locally-sourced produce, customers not only secured a bounty of nutritious ingredients but also reaffirmed their commitment to supporting a more sustainable shopping experience. The sale showcased how much people care about where their food comes from and how it’s grown. By buying from Heyday, shoppers could feel good about supporting local farms while getting nutritious food at a great price!

Heyday is Manila’s newest health and wellness superstore, located in Glorietta 4, G/F. Dedicated to supporting customers in their journey towards living their best lives. Dedicated to supporting customers in their journey towards living their best lives, Heyday Philippines offers a meticulously curated selection of global and local products.

Curious about the next promotions offering discounted prices and great deals on fresh produce? Don’t worry—RetailWise has got you covered!  

For more information about Heyday, visit https://heyday.ph/

Re-Up, the world’s first AI-powered convenience store, redefining gas stations with cutting-edge technology, today announced that the company will be installing autonomous robotic chefs at a variety of locations powered by Nala Robotics, an AI technology company revolutionizing the culinary industry.

The Wingman by Nala Robotics is an autonomous fry station that can easily be added or configured to any restaurant or commercial food service operation. Re-Up will leverage Nala Robotics’ advanced artificial intelligence technology to enhance its food service offerings, enabling customers to enjoy freshly prepared, fully customizable, fried chicken, french fries and other menu items on demand, quickly, easily and without human intervention.

The announcement comes on the heels of Re-Up’s grand opening of its inaugural location in Melbourne, Florida, located just a mile and a half from Melbourne Orlando International Airport, at 601 South Babcock Street, Melbourne, Florida. According to U-Haul data, the Palm Bay-Melbourne market netted the largest number of movers in one-way U-Haul® equipment last year, dominating the US city growth trend. Re-Up currently has 9 open stores and more than 30 in the pipeline.

Nala Robotics’ AI-enabled virtual kitchens are equipped with advanced sensors, precision cooking mechanisms, and machine learning algorithms, allowing its robotic chefs to autonomously prepare a wide range of menu items with unparalleled consistency and efficiency. In addition to on-premises ordering via multi-modal kiosk, restaurants can create virtual storefronts for remote transactions through a website or online food ordering and delivery platform. The integration of The Wingman into Re-Up’s convenience stores will enable faster service, reduced wait times, and enhanced food quality, improving the overall customer experience.

Re-Up’s pillars consist of clean, safe, healthy, and modern; the ultimate elevated customer experience. Built on multigenerational retail expertise, Re-Up prioritizes exceptional customer service, on trend merchandising, and modern store layouts, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable experience for every patron. Re-Up offers nutritional food options, free WiFi, and cafe seating.

“As the c-store for the new generation – offering clean and healthy alternatives to the traditional convenience retail experience, we are thrilled to partner with Nala Robotics,” said Michael Salafia, Founder and Managing Director of Re-Up. “By harnessing the power of AI, we are able to provide our customers with convenient, personalized, and safe shopping and dining experiences. We believe this groundbreaking concept will revolutionize the way people shop and fuel up.”

“Our expansion efforts at Re-Up are proceeding at an accelerated pace. We aim to procure 25-30 additional stores by the end of 2024 and more than 200 stores in the coming years,” said Narendra Manney, Co-Founder & President of Re-Up. “The integration of robotics kitchens stands as a pivotal strategy in our modernization initiative, enabling us to enhance operational efficiency and deliver seamless services while upholding unwavering quality standards around the clock.”

“Our agreement with Re-Up underscores both companies’ commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction and will deliver better outcomes for both operator and consumer,” said Ajay Sunkara, CEO of Nala Robotics. “The Wingman doesn’t get sick, can work around the clock and can cook any dish efficiently all the time, improving on quality and saving on labor costs. At the same time, customers get to choose from an assortment of great-tasting food items just the way they like it.”

ABOUT RE-UP

Meet Re-Up, the convenience store of the future. Re-Up is a gas station and convenience store retail operator, focused on elevating customer experience through the integration of AI-powered technology and design. Re-Up is elevating the way people re-fuel, re-charge, re-fill, re-up, answering a pent up demand for a modern, clean, and healthy convenience retail experience. With more than 30 stores in the pipeline, strategically positioned for accessibility and convenience across Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana, Re-Up is led by a dynamic team, contributing unique expertise in the sectors of retail operations, technology, and real estate. Learn more at https://reupfuel.com/.

ABOUT NALA ROBOTICS

Nala Robotics is an AI technology company disrupting the culinary industry with the introduction of The Wingman, Pizzaiola, Nala Chef, Bowl Bot and Sandwich Bot. Its fully automated, customizable robots use machine learning to cook infinite recipes replicated with exact precision anytime, anywhere. The company’s autonomous robotic solutions are ideal for multiple cuisines including American, Chinese, Indian and Thai. Based in Arlington Heights, Illinois, Nala Robotics has offices in California, India and Ukraine. For more information, visit https://nalarobotics.com/

Original Article: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240402720622/en/AI-Powered-Convenience-Store-Chain-Re-Up-to-Deploy-Autonomous-Kitchens

This women’s month, a new study from Packworks, in partnership with Fourth Wall, has found that women essentially run the local economy in the Philippines.

According to Packworks’ business intelligence tool Sari IQ, 75 percent of sari-sari stores in the country are owned by women. Of the remaining 25 percent, 20 percent are run by men while ownership of the five percent remains unknown.

Unique to the Philippines, sari-sari stores can be found on almost every block. With the widely-accepted belief that Filipinos are, at the community level, a matriarchal society, it should come as no surprise that women own the majority of these family-run sari-sari stores. Their influence as the owners of these small retail shops has been primarily underrated, at least until now.

“The high percentage of sari-sari store ownership by women shows that Filipinas virtually control much of the local economy,” said Andres Montiel, Packworks’ Head of Data.

At the grassroots economy, women are in charge. With almost 70 percent of manufactured goods transacted in sari-sari stores, Filipino women hold significant sway in the local economy. However, there’s still work to be done to boost women’s labor in other industries and upskill female laborers for personal and economic growth.

“The primary reason for women’s domination of sari-sari stores lies in the very origin and nature of sari-sari stores themselves. Families set up sari-sari stores to augment the resources of the household,” explained Fourth Wall’s Research Director, John Brylle Bae. “Thus, sari-sari stores are always intertwined with the needs of the home. In the Filipino context, the role of the nanay [mother] is to manage the home, including addressing and managing the household’s needs.”

Due to the cultural influences of Spanish colonization and Western patriarchal culture, the role of women in Philippine society has drastically changed over the centuries, noted Bae. From religious and political leaders like babaylans and priestesses, women are now expected to be nurturers and caregivers—which is in itself a hot topic to debate. On the economic front, the role of women as the head of the household shouldn’t be underestimated, especially considering how much-untapped influence they have over the grassroots economy.

Original Article: https://www.esquiremag.ph/money/industry/filipino-women-local-economy-sari-sari-stores-a00304-20230327?utm_medium=Echobox-Esquire&utm_campaign=Echobox-Ownshare&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR0x8nusbMZpZXckrJU79-VhlXgiQPyiPTPij-N4BW4_MtJe5J9e4QSIwUk_aem_ASxMj1J9A4MIiS51dpfDVARjXPScp44fZiKOcMiikK_pdgU2T0euMmjC2YfJ6jtSfhg#Echobox=1709726534

The Pennsylvania-based donut and coffee chain has partnered with Bravo Foods Corp to open 25 outlets across the Philippines within six years – its largest international franchise agreement to-date.

Duck Donuts will enter the Philippines this year after signing its largest international franchise agreement to-date.

Local franchisee Bravo Foods Corp will open its first Duck Donuts in Makati – a key financial and retail hub in the Metro Manila region – in the second quarter of 2024. Bravo Foods Corp will then seek to open 25 sites by 2030.

“We believe that the warmth and uniqueness of Duck Donuts will resonate with the Filipino community. We are excited to embark on this journey of sweet success in partnership with Bert Bravo and leverage his knowledge of the market and industry as we begin to introduce Duck Donuts throughout the country of the Philippines,” said Betsy Hamm, CEO, Duck Donuts.

“I saw the potential of Duck Donuts when I first heard about it from my colleagues in California. We are excited to bring the unique, customisable donuts to our country,” added Bert Bravo, CEO, Bravo Foods Corp.

Duck Donuts currently operates 145 stores across 25 US states alongside international sites in Canada, Puerto Rico, Thailand, Egypt, Pakistan and Qatar. The franchise donut and coffee chain expects to open 10 new international stores this year and also has franchise agreements to launch in Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, Australia and the UK.

Original Article: https://www.worldcoffeeportal.com/Latest/News/2024/January-(2)/Duck-Donuts-signs-franchise-deal-to-enter-the-Phil

Jollibee Food Corporation (JFC) has opened the first Common Man Coffee Roasters (CMCR) in the Philippines at the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City.

Founded in 2013, CMCR is a Singaporean brunch-focused café chain with eight outlets across its domestic market and Malaysia. CMCR also roasts specialty coffee and provides barista training in Singapore and Malaysia via its Coffee Barista Academy.

The Makati City store features an in-house roastery and will offer a premium specialty coffee menu, including slow brew filter coffee priced from PHP220 ($3.90). Additionally, cappuccino and flat white are priced at PHP180 ($3.20) and CMCR’s signature Nitro Honey Oat Latte at PHP250 ($4.47).

Market leader Dunkin’, which has 800 outlets in the Philippines, retails cappuccino at PHP90 ($1.60) while premium-focused Starbucks prices the same beverage at PHP160 ($2.80).

The chain’s launch in the Philippines follows a joint venture agreement between JFC and Singapore-based Food Collective Pte. Ltd. which also includes a deal to bring 16-store Tiong Bahru Bakery to the country.

“We’re excited to bring the Common Man Coffee Roasters in the country and give the community an elevated café experience. Common Man’s consciously sourced coffee and numerous deliciously healthy brunch options contribute to this experience and help fulfill our mission of spreading the joy of eating to everyone,” said Ernesto Tanmantiong, CEO, JFC.

JFC operates more than 6,500 outlets globally across its 16 food and beverage brands, including its eponymous fast-food restaurant chain Jollibee, coffee chains Highlands Coffee and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, alongside bubble tea chain Milksha. The Filipino fast-food giant said launching CMCR in the Philippines forms part of its ‘aggressive growth plans’ for 2024 as it seeks to become one of the five largest restaurant companies in the world.

 Original Article: https://www.worldcoffeeportal.com/Latest/News/2024/January-(2)/Jollibee-opens-first-Common-Man-Coffee-Roasters-in

THE Philippines ranked first in retail e-commerce growth in 2022 among Southeast Asian countries, posting a 25.9-percent growth, according to an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report.

The ADB report, published in November 2023 with the title “E-Commerce Evolution in Asia and the Pacific: Opportunities and Challenges,” noted that although the e-commerce ecosystem in the Southeast Asian subregion is still “nascent,” the market has been growing rapidly and outpaces the rest of its Asian neighboring countries.

Citing a 2022 report by Cramer-Flood, ADB said the subregion’s growth of 20.6 percent in retail e-commerce in 2022 “stands out” among all other economies and regions globally.

In addition, it noted that only four economies reported faster growth rates than the combined figure of Southeast Asia. Two of these, however, still belong in the subregion, namely, the Philippines and Indonesia, ADB said.

“The Philippines, on the other hand, ranks first in retail e-commerce growth in 2022, posting 25.9-percent growth.

Five economies within the region—Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam—will rank among the top 10 markets worldwide measured by retail e-commerce sales growth by the end of 2022,” ADB noted as it cited the 2022 Cramer-Flood report.

he multilateral institution pointed out that the subregion’s rapid growth is “largely driven” by a spike in digital consumers since the pandemic began.

In fact, ADB said according to Meta, Facebook estimates that since the start of the pandemic, 70 million people in Southeast Asia have become digital consumers, with about 30 million joining those ranks from 2020 to 2021 alone.

Further, a 2021 Google report noted that the aggregate internet penetration in Southeast Asia grew to 75 percent by the end of 2021, ADB said.

“In 2022, there were about 516.5 million internet users in Southeast Asia alone,” ADB noted, citing Statista.

Meanwhile, in terms of retail spending, ADB noted that Singapore continues to pose the highest per capita e-commerce spending at $772.25 per capita in 2022, from only $389.8 per capita in 2019 or pre-COVID 19 pandemic.

This, ADB noted, is almost three times the e-commerce spending in Thailand, which is at $273.4 per capita. Meanwhile, exponential growth from prepandemic levels is seen in Malaysia, whose spending per capita increased from $112 in 2019 to $200 per capita in 2022.

For Indonesia, its spending per capita soared from $66 per capita in 2019 to $207 per capita in 2021 while the Philippines, at $60.3 per capita and Viet Nam, posting $153 per capita, lagged in 2022, the ADB report noted

 Original Article: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/11/14/phl-retail-e-commerce-up-26-highest-in-s-e-a/

Filipinos have increased their budgets for holiday shopping in online channels given the convenience, exclusive discounts, and range of offerings, according to marketing technology provider InMobi.

The InMobi 2023 Holiday Retail Guide for Advertisers showed that 57% of local holiday shoppers have increased their budgets for online shopping, yet it noted 43% have less than P10,000 in budget.

It added that 35% have a budget of P10,000 to P25,000, 13% can spend P25,000 to P50,000, and 5% eye running through over P50,000.

“They pick mobile for its convenience and physical stores for tangible product experiences and assurances,” InMobi said on holiday deal sources.

On one hand, respondents preferred shopping on mobile due to the convenience of ordering (72%), app-only discounts (60%), and ranges (47%), InMobi noted.

These included purchases in clothing and accessories, health and beauty, hobbies, and gadgets, it added.

On the other hand, in-store shoppers cited getting to see or try the product (96%), lesser chances of buying the wrong product (82%), and in-store offers (60%) as their top reasons, InMobi said.

It mentioned home appliances and improvement, gadgets, gift packs, and holiday-focused groceries as top in-store purchases.

InMobi noted peak shopping activities in double-digit festivals, such as 11.11 and 12.12, as opportunities for shoppers to explore and purchase, which brands must take advantage of.

“It starts with being present with those who have already started exploring,” it said on tips for brands. “With mobile emerging as the top shopping channel, it is important to create experiences that engage the holiday shopper at every touchpoint.”

InMobi suggested online retailers leverage technology, such as interactive camera filters and personalized mobile-first experiences, to engage with shoppers.

“Understand them and decode their online and offline behavior,” it said. “Evoke engagement throughout their shopping journey by being on the destinations they love.”

“Drive delight with innovative and engaging mobile experiences that inspire action.”

Additionally, the report showed that 55% of Filipino shoppers are category explorers, 38% are brand lovers, and 7% are bargain hunters.

“More men exhibit love for brands, while more women are hunting for the right deals,” it said on holiday shopper personas in the Philippines.

The InMobi 2023 Holiday Retail Guide for Advertisers sampled 1,000 mobile users across the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore between Sept. 12 and 18. 

Original Article: https://www.bworldonline.com/bw-launchpad/2023/10/26/554017/increased-holiday-shopping-budgets-for-online-purchases-seen-among-filipinos/