Watson’s targets 90 stores in 2025

Watson’s Philippines plans an aggressive expansion program next year, constructing about 90 branches against 80 outlets this year.

“What we can share is we are very grateful because we have been growing at double-digit levels the past five years. We are in a very good position. Our expansion for next year is very aggressive,” Sharon Decapia, Watson’s Philippines senior assistant vice president for Marketing, PR and Sustainability, in a roundtable discussion, said.

Decapia said Visayas and Mindanao areas are where the new Watson’s branches will be set up.

“Of course, we have a lot of consideration because we want to make sure that the locations that we identify are close to our target customers. Or somehow, we don’t oversaturate a specific area. We want to be present in places where there are no branches yet, and we want to be available there,” she added.

She said future branches would be placed as community pharmacies, as they are already present in all SM branches nationwide under a joint venture by the A.S. Watson Group and SM Prime Holdings Inc.

“Today, Watsons has grown to over 1,100 stores nationwide, serving more than 100,000 customers daily. The brand offers a wide selection of high-quality, market-leading products, including top global brands and its competitively priced Watsons GOBE (Globally Owned Brands and Exclusives), alongside health services that provide exceptional value in health, wellness, and beauty,” Jared Guzman, customer director for Watson’s Philippines, said.

O+O strategy

According to Guzman, they are continuously opening more community stores and strengthening their e-commerce platform in line with their O+O (Offline + Online) strategy.

“This approach ensures that more Filipinos can conveniently access our wide range of health, wellness, and beauty products,” Guzman said.

O + O, to date, has 15.8 million loyalty members, with 158 million transactions.

Just recently, A.S. Watson Group has chosen the Philippines to be the host of the global brand’s 8,000th branch.

“With the launch of its 8,000th global store at SM Mall of Asia, Watsons introduces a flagship store designed to elevate the shopping experience. The store features a spacious and modern layout and a unique international aesthetic, crafted by designers from Hong Kong and Manila to reflect both global standards and Filipino preferences,” Guzman said.

Currently, Watson’s Philippines has more than 10,000 workforce, with more than 9,000 working in their 1,100 branches serving physical customers and online, while the others are working on their head office and their manufacturing hubs.

Established in 1841, AS Watson Group is one of the world’s longest-standing and most recognizable retail chains with roots in Asia.

Today, the company operates over 16,500 stores across 12 retail brands in 29 markets, employing 130,000 people globally, making AS Watson Group the largest international health and beauty retailer.

In 2023, the AS Watson Group reported revenues of $23 billion.

The company’s technology-enabled O+O (Offline plus Online) platforms serve over 5.5 billion shoppers annually, seamlessly integrating physical and digital retail experiences.