METRO Retail Stores Group Inc. (MRSGI) is looking to complete the first phase of its rebuilding and recovery program for the Metro Ayala Cebu store by the second half of 2019, as part of a continuing multi-phase program for restoring and fortifying its infrastructure and facilities that adheres to the highest standards in construction and safety, the company announced in a statement.
“We are well on our way to restoring the Metro Supermarket and Metro Department store in Ayala Center Cebu. We initially opened the Metro Supermarket at the end of 2018 to cater to the needs of our customers as they welcome the New Year. We expect that the first phase of the redevelopment to be fully operational by the middle of this year, as we continue to build a much better and more vibrant store for our patrons,” said MRSGI chairman and chief executive officer Frank Gaisano.
A fire hit the fourth floor of the department store last year, leading to the closure of the Ayala Center Cebu. While the mall reopened weeks later, the structure where the department store used to be was razed. The demolition of the old structure is ongoing.
In its bid to continue serving its customers, MRSGI opened a temporary 900-square-meter supermarket within Ayala Center Cebu three months after the fire as “ a testament to MRSGI’s resilience and commitment to the Cebuano community.”
The new Metro Supermarket reopened in its original location on Dec. 30.
“Our Cebuano heritage provides a greater impetus for us to rebuild, restore and strengthen our operations in Metro Ayala Cebu. We thank our customers for their support throughout the years. We are all the more inspired to enhance our store and our services–-to continue to be the reliable store that has always provided them with quality and affordable products,” added Gaisano.
Alongside its rebuilding and recovery of the Metro Ayala Cebu store, MRSGI kept its goal of expanding in Visayas and Luzon. In the past year, MRSGI led the groundbreaking of Super Metro Hypermarket Baybay in Leyte and the opening of Metro Department Store and Supermarket at Ayala Malls Feliz in Pasig City and in Bacolod.
Currently, MRSGI has 53 stores across Central, Western and Eastern Visayas as well as in Central Luzon, Metro Manila and South Luzon. The company operates three store formats comprising a department store, a supermarket and a hypermarket. (PR)