Bringing the best of the world to Phl

Conglomerate Ayala Corp. is making a push to bolster its retail business over the next decade, with plans to bring in the best international concepts to the Philippines.

- By Richmond Mercurio

Ayala head of corporate strategy and business development Mark Robert Uy told The STAR that the group is talking to several brands in search for the right concepts to introduce to the country.

"But again, we're directing them to other partners first. If they can find other local partners, why not? Again, we're just happy to be purely landlords. It's really when people feel that we have something unique to add, that's when we will participate," Uy said.

To further enhance its retail portfolio, Uy said that Ayala is open to other concepts, including food.

"I think this goes back to providing better choices. We're just looking at all concepts. Nothing specific, but where can we add value. What pain points can we solve?" he said.

Uy, however, said that Ayala's retail expansion would be done patiently and one at a time.

"I think when you look at the overall retail portfolio of the group, we want it to be a chunkier portion of the portfolio 10 years from now. It won't be immediate," Uy said.