Wilcon Depot opens first store in Tacloban

MANILA, Philippines — Tacloban, Leyte is experiencing a renaissance.

Five years after Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated it, the city has slowly gotten back on its feet. Many of the homes and buildings damaged in the calamity have since been repaired and residents who left the city in the aftermath of the disaster have since come back. Trade and commerce has also thrived once more with the reopening of old business establishments and the opening of new ones.

It took some tough challenges before Tacloban achieved resurgence. Residents had to live in makeshift homes and rely on relief aid to make it through each day forward. They had to scour through the debris to rebuild their homes, if not shoulder the cost of buying construction materials outside the city to reconstruct their houses, since such materials were hard to come by at the time.

Their difficulty in finding construction and home improvement materials will be eased today with the opening of Wilcon Depot’s first store in the city—its first store in Eastern Visayas.

“Wilcon Depot Tacloban City is our fifth branch in the Visayas region, our first in Eastern Visayas, following the branches in the cities of Talisay, Cebu in December 2012, Mandaue, Cebu in June 2013, Bacolod-Talisay in Negros Occidental in June 2017 and Jaro, Iloilo City in December 2017,” says Wilcon Depot SEVP and COO Rose Ong.

The 11,000-square meter Wilcon Depot store is located along the National Highway at Purok Santol in Barangay 80 (Marasbaras)—just a convenient 15 minutes from downtown Tacloban. The store broke ground in June 2017 and was completed in less than a year, thus becoming the company’s 42nd store nationwide.

Just like in other Wilcon Depot stores, the Tacloban branch contains showrooms featuring the various local and international home improvement brands that the company carries, such as Grohe, Franke Kitchen Systems, Kohler Sanitarywares, Pozzi Bathroom Solutions, and Koller Bathtubs and Accessories.

In the Living, Kitchen, and Bath section, there are several selections of home improvement products from brands like Natuzzi Edition, Heim Home Interior, and Heritage Home Furniture.

There are also a wide range of Spanish and Italian tiles on display at the Tile Studio for those looking for exterior or interior decorative pieces; brands such as Spain’s Alcalagres, Keratile, Rocersa, Cifre, Emigres, Keros, and Oset, or Italy’s Novabell, Energie Ker, and Gardenia.

Sanitary wares section

Alphalux, one of Wilcon Depot’s newest brands, also provides a collection of lighting solutions to suit one’s preference and budget.

Morever, just like its other branches, Wilcon Depot Tacloban will have a large selection paints for exterior and interior purposes, a Design Hub where customers can get design advice and tips from knowledgeable Wilcon staff, a well-stocked Do-It-Yourself (DIY) section for skilled artisans who like to build their own crafts or do repairs, even a lounge for architects, builders, contractors, designers, and engineers, dubbed as the ABCDE Lounge.

With the opening of Wilcon Depot Tacloban and its offering of a wide array of products to the public, the store is set to ease the city residents’ needs for quality and reasonably priced construction and home improvement products, which, prior to the store’s opening, was largely procured outside of Tacloban. Now, residents no longer have to travel as far as Cebu or Manila to get the construction and home improvement products they need to build stronger, climate-resilient homes.

“Wilcon Depot recognizes the actions of the Tacloban’s local government in rebuilding their city. Wilcon Depot Tacloban will be the Taclobanons’ strong partner in continuing their recovery efforts after the devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda. Wilcon’s expansion strategy speaks of its commitment to contribute its best expertise, knowledge, skills, and resources to promote stronger and safer homes and buildings for Taclobanons. We guarantee that Wilcon Depot Tacloban will be a reliable, trustworthy and excellent source of products with highest quality standard and innovative solutions for the city’s efforts in infrastructure improvements, future proofing and building sustainable homes,” Ong explains.

In return, because of Tacloban’s continuing growth after Super Typhoon Yolanda, it has become a viable market for Wilcon Depot’s continuing expansion into the country’s heartland. With the opening of Wilcon Depot Tacloban, the company’s expertise and well-renowned brands in home improvement will be accessible to more markets and customers, giving the Wilcon brand a stronger presence and recall as it expands its reach to other regions.

“As the city remains the center of trade and commerce and the strategic hub for Eastern Visayas, Tacloban’s fast, dynamic and growing economy is ideal for Wilcon’s expansion. Wilcon is determined to help Tacloban City in fulfilling its vision in building a more progressive and resilient city. The opening of Wilcon Depot Tacloban is a step toward our goal of having a network of 65 branches by 2021,” Ong states.