Philippine retailers put adaptability at heart of future growth

Insider Spotlight

• Philippine retailers are being urged to make adaptability a core operating discipline as consumer behavior and technology continue to reshape the industry
• Business leaders at the 32nd National Retail Conference and Expo emphasized solving business problems before deploying AI and other technologies
• SM leaders highlighted customer focus, openness to new ideas and continuous learning as foundations for long-term retail relevance
  
  
  
  

The Philippine retail industry is putting adaptability, purposeful technology investment and customer focus at the center of its response to rapid change, as executives gathered for the second day of the Philippine Retailers Association’s 32nd National Retail Conference and Expo.

Li & Fung Group CEO Joseph Phi framed adaptability as a discipline rather than a reaction to volatility. He called for a growth mindset, urgency and employees empowered to work alongside technology, describing AI as a way to amplify people while businesses steadily build capabilities.

Why it matters

Retailers are navigating shifting consumer expectations alongside fast-moving technologies. The message from NRCE was that transformation should be tied to business needs rather than pursued simply because new technology is available.

McDonald’s Philippines head of technology Dustin Lacap positioned technology as a strategic investment instead of merely a cost requiring justification. TBWA\SMP executives RJ Paculan and Paolo Broma similarly urged companies to identify the business problem first, determine whether AI is appropriate, test solutions through pilots and scale what works.

Retail executives Roxanne Farillas of RAFFCO/Plains & Prints, Toby Claudio of Toby’s Sports and Paolo Misa of PUMA Philippines also discussed how disruption has pushed companies toward reinvention rather than simply survival.

The global opportunity

The Test Kitchen & Helm’s Josh Boutwood, Auro Chocolate’s Mark Ocampo and food content creator Abi Marquez argued that taking Filipino excellence abroad depends on authenticity, long-developed craftsmanship and product-driven storytelling.

Leadership also came under scrutiny. Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design at Ateneo de Manila University founding dean Fr. Johnny C. Go, SJ, challenged executives to resist outsourced thinking and superficial networking, emphasizing focus, presence and purpose.

The big picture

SM Investments Corp. chairperson Teresita Sy-Coson and SM Supermalls president Steven Tan closed the discussion by revisiting Henry Sy Sr.’s customer-first philosophy and examining how Philippine retail has evolved across generations.

Their discussion underscored the continued relevance of physical stores alongside changing consumer habits and younger shoppers’ expectations.

For the Philippine Retailers Association, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, the conference distilled retail resilience into a broader principle: businesses can embrace AI, new formats and changing markets, but enduring growth still rests on people, purpose and a willingness to keep learning. —Vanessa Hidalgo| Ed: Corrie S. Narisma