Singapore’s biggest pet store opens Philippine branches

Singapore-based Pet Lovers Centre hopes to gain a foothold in the Philippine market by opening two new branches.

(Harvepino | iStockphoto.com)
(Harvepino | iStockphoto.com)

Pet Lovers Centre (PLC), Singapore's largest chain of pet stores, marks its first year of expansion in the Philippines by launching two new branches.

A year ago, PLC signed a franchise license agreement with Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc., the second-largest retailer in the Philippines, which has made known its plans to exit the fashion retail business and focus on new vibrant retail segments like pet goods and services. In doing so, Robinsons wants to hit the ground running and not build its own pet store. By partnering with PLC Singapore, it immediately gets a well-thought-out business and can concentrate on adding more branches to cater to the growing number of pet owners in the country, according to the company.

Positioning within the market

PLC Philippines positions itself as a leading source of pet food products and aims to become a household name like PLC in Singapore. Its direct competitor is market pioneer Pet Express, whose branches nationwide are owned by Philippines' retail behemoth SM Retail Inc.

While supermarkets offer easy access to established pet food brands, doting pet owners in Southeast Asia gravitate to specialized stores like PLC for its extensive products and knowledgeable staff.

Industry estimates put the pet population in the Philippines somewhere at over 14 million dogs and over 2 million cats in 2017.

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