Ayala bringing UAE’s Spinneys to Philippines

MANILA, Philippines —  Ayala Corp.’s push to bolster its retail business continues to gain ground as it adds premium fresh food supermarket chain Spinneys to its growing portfolio.

Ayala said it has entered a strategic business venture with Spinneys, a leading supermarket chain in the United Arab Emirates, to open stores in the Philippines.

Spinneys is owned by the Al Seer Group, a consumer holdings company that is part of a UAE-based group with business interests in industries such as food, retail, hospitality, shipyards and construction, with presence in over 20 countries.

The venture with Ayala represents Spinneys’ first expansion outside of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

“At Ayala, we take pride in partnering with some of the world’s leading companies and working alongside them to bring world-class products and services to the Philippines,” Ayala president and CEO Cezar Consing said.

“We are honored to be the first partner of Spinneys as it ventures outside the GCC. We hope this investment will catalyze trade and investment between the Philippines and the GCC,” he said.

Through the partnership, Ayala will combine local market knowledge and strong experience across the property, retail and logistics sectors with Spinneys’ operational and brand expertise in premium fresh food retail.

The venture intends to open premium grocery stores in the country’s capital region.

“The Philippines offers significant long-term growth potential, with strong economic fundamentals, a growing affluent population and increasing demand for high -quality offerings. Our partnership with Ayala combines their deep local knowledge with our operational expertise, providing a strong foundation to grow,” Spinneys chief executive officer Sunil Kumar said.

“As we enter this next phase, we’re delighted to be bringing our high-quality and fresh offering to a new region that is natural for us to serve as we are proud to employ and cater to many Filipinos in our current market,” Kumar said.

The partnership serves as the latest in a string of international collaborations for Ayala in line with its aim of bringing world-class products and services to Filipinos.

Part of Ayala’s strategy is to work with world-class companies to expand consumer choices, raise retail standards and help Filipinos thrive.

The company last week announced its partnership with Thailand’s CP AXTRA to open Makro stores in the Philippines.

Ayala has also entered into collaborations with Kmart Australia Ltd. to bring home and lifestyle brand Anko and with BYD to bring the world’s leading EV brand to the Philippines.