Rustan’s Supercenters Inc. (RSCI) brings to the fore a fresh and exciting new way to experience the supermarket with Marketplace by Rustan’s at the Power Plant Mall.
The premium lifestyle supermarket marks the first of many offerings resulting from RSCI’s partnership with the Hong-Kong based Dairy Farm Group, a leading pan-Asian retailer that operates supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience stores, health and beauty stores and home furnishings stores under well-known brands.
According to RSCI President Donnie Tantoco, Marketplace by Rustan’s caters to a growing affluent and discriminating segment of Filipino shoppers who seek international products in a superior shopping environment.
“Marketplace is an upscale supermarket shopping concept well known and loved throughout Asia, and it is an honor to bring this experience to the Philippine market,” he says. “Marketplace by Rustan’s features the powerful combination of Dairy Farm’s extensive experience and knowledge in operating upscale formats and the local touch and Filipino warmth and service for which Rustan’s is renowned.”
With this in mind, RSCI chose to put up Marketplace by Rustan’s in upscale Rockwell. “Rockwell’s premium positioning, passion for quality, and world-class standards make it the perfect fit for Marketplace by Rustan’s, add to the fact that our Rustan’s Rockwell branch is also our number one store in the chain,” Tantoco explains.
Patterned after Marketplace by Jason’s in Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, Marketplace by Rustan’s boasts an extensive range of international, specialty and gourmet selections set against a pleasurable contemporary backdrop.
Taking freshness to a whole new level, the supermarket houses a wonderful repertoire of products from all over the world. There are fresh fruits, produce, meat and dairy essentials, as well as imported groceries housed in a store-within-a-store concept called the brand shop, which boasts exciting brands such as Stonewall Kitchen (an award-winning US-based food company), Tea Forte, Ghirardelli, Rustan’s exclusive brands Casino and Waitrose, and more.
Also available are international health and beauty picks, as well as an extended ready-to-eat section featuring a pasta bar, baked potato bar, and carving station, among others.
There is also a wide array of old world and new world wines; and even the first-ever Eric Kayser bakery-a Paris-based franchise named after the esteemed French baker and food writer—in the Philippines.
Finally, making shopping an all the more delightful affair is also Marketplace by Rustan’s interior design and architectural layout, conceptualized and executed by international retail artist Shozo Nitta. Naturally attractive and inviting is its modern aesthetic, which evokes a specialty store feel—”shoppers will feel like they are in a store abroad,” Tantoco points out—but even more impressive is its consistent use of green elements throughout the store.
“Marketplace by Rustan’s is our first-ever “green” store. It makes use of LED lights, which consume less electricity and cause less waste. We also use equipment that are low-carbon emitting,” Tantoco says.
The local market, he concludes, is definitely ready for Marketplace by Rustan’s. “We are witnessing the growing sophistication of Filipino shoppers, most of whom have enjoyed different types of premium supermarket pleasures during their travels. Given this, we believe that they will appreciate the Marketplace concept because it combines plenty of what they have seen and loved abroad; and, even better, makes these now accessible to them here in the Philippines.”