Ayala bullish on Anko, doubling store network in 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Ayala Group is bullish on growing Anko’s presence in the Philippines, with plans of doubling the Australian home and lifestyle brand’s store network in the country by next year.

Anko is opening today its third and largest store in the country in Trinoma Mall in Quezon City.

Anko, which was established in 2017 and is part of the Kmart Group, entered the country through a partnership with Ayala with the opening of its first store in Glorietta 2, Makati in November last year, which was followed by the opening of a branch in Alabang Town Center in Muntinlupa.

Mark Robert Uy, head of corporate strategy and business development at Ayala, told The STAR in an interview that Anko is set to open two more stores this year, ending 2025 with a total of five branches.

He said the upcoming stores would allow Anko to cover the catchment of Mega Manila, including those that are coming from the east as well as those coming from Manila all the way to Cavite.

“I want to cover Metro Manila. If you’re coming from the north, then there’s Trinoma. If you’re coming from the center, then Makati. if you’re coming from the South, Southeast, then Alabang Town Center,” he said.

By next year, Anko intends to double its store network to reach more Filipino shoppers.

“We came from one to five. From five, hopefully, we can get to 10 up to 12 stores by next year. Then maybe 2027, we’ll pause first the physical stores and then we’ll shift online, maybe, that’s the current thinking,” Uy said.

“Twelve is probably enough to cover all the way to Pampanga and all the way to Laguna,” he said.

Uy said that once Anko gets to 10 or 12 stores, then it will start thinking of expanding its services online.

“Online, that’s the next step for us. But we’re not rushing online. But eventually, we will do online once we have more locations that can serve as hub. We’re thinking of the click and collect model rather than delivery,” he said.

Uy said the goal of Anko is “to turn something that is exclusive, inclusive.”

Anko is able to provide products at consistently low prices through its efficient product development process.

It offers products, ranging from home living essentials and smart storage solutions to beauty must-haves, nursery items, children’s toys, electronics, pet supplies and arts and crafts at affordable prices.

Through Anko, Uy said that Ayala also hopes to provide more and better employment opportunities to Filipinos.

“My dream, I told Anko, is we don’t need to hire college graduates. Even just high school graduates, even if they did not finish their studies, we hire them as long as they can do their job well. We want to attract the best talents,” Uy said.

“So if you’re good, even if you are uneducated, as long as you are hardworking and willing to learn, come work for us. We’ll pay you better than minimum wage. And my aspiration is to make you a manager. My aspiration, my dream, is that the future CEO of AC Retail or the future CEO of Anko starts from the ranks,” he said.

Ayala decided to partner with Anko because of the latter’s concept that was regarded as game-changing in Australia, catering to a major pain point in the market.

Anko provides good quality and well-designed products, which are sold at a price point that is affordable even to the middle-class or even the lower-class Filipinos.

Uy said that Anko’s game-changing and great value offering is something that the Filipinos truly deserve.