Alfamart keeps growing in the midst of quarantine challenges. The Super Minimart chain in the Philippines celebrated the 900th store opening at the latest Alfamart branch in Valdez, Floridablanca, Pampanga to serve the surrounding community. Pulling off this achievement is notable as the current circumstances have forced some businesses to slow down or even close operations.

“The first half of the year was definitely not easy,” said Alfamart Philippines COO Harvey Ong. “We were hoping to have our 900th store opening to coincide with our anniversary in June. But of course, we needed to realign — to make sure that our frontline staff and employees were safe and well-equipped to deal with the challenges of the pandemic and the accompanying quarantine that came with it,” he continued.

Ong reiterated the fact that Alfamart employees were also frontliners who served the community. They needed to be safe so that they too can keep the customers’ shopping experience as safe and carefree as possible. “They are hard workers–dedicated to the core. We actually gave them the freedom to choose whether they need to report to work or not during the quarantine. We were overwhelmed and surprised that a lot of them chose to still report to work, so, of course, we did everything in our power to make it easier for them to do their jobs,” he said.

As Alfamart keeps growing, it’s still committed to its staff. Even up to now, the staff are still given free shuttle rides, provided PPEs and sanitation materials, and regular tests to ensure their health and wellness.

“We were fortunate that everyone in Alfamart adjusted well to the situation,” Ong continued. “We were eventually able to get our legs under us and continue with our plans to expand our operations further into Central and South Luzon,” he shared.

One of the biggest adjustments Alfamart implemented was establishing cashless payments in all 900 stores. Currently, all stores are accepting GCash and are planning to accommodate more cashless options in the future. For more information regarding Alfamart and all its branches, you may visit https://alfamart.com.ph.