Locations

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The What’s New tab will contain the specifics of all the news we share on the Home tab and will also feature blog posts on zero waste consumption and other innovations all over the world.

The Locations tab will share all of our branch details like operating hours, contact numbers, and complete addresses. Lastly, the Pledge Zero Waste tab allows our consumers and web visitors to volunteer to clean-up events and/or donate to various non-profit organizations working towards cleaning up plastic pollution specifically in Asia. STOR will personally vet every organization that we present on our site to ensure their legitimacy which is why we limit our search to network of non-profit partners to Asia.

5.6. Locations

Figure 11: Map of Metro Manila¹⁰

In its first year, STOR intends to open five branches consecutively within the span of 12 months in the Philippines. These branches will specifically be in Metro Manila which is established as one of the three metropolitan areas in the country. Metro Manila is comprised of 16 cities, of which eight are considered central to the countries’ business operations as presented in Figure

10Note. Adapted from Mega Manila Subway Map. Retrieved from http://www.greenenergyinvestors.com.

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11 above. These cities are where majority of our target market either resides or has business and is also home to the country’s biggest governing bodies. Except for the flagship store, most of STOR’s branches will be strategically located in several of the city’s malls because the Philippines has a strong mall culture where consumers from all backgrounds come to shop for everything they want and need inside malls ensuring STOR consistent high traffic from shoppers that already have a mindset to buy. Within Metro Manila, the cities that are most ideal for STOR are Makati, Taguig, Quezon, Pasay and Mandaluyong.

5.6.1. Makati Location

Makati is reported to be one of the most conducive cities for start-ups in the Philippines and is currently where the countries high-value industry clusters locate. It is also known as the financial capital of the country and is home to 4.7 million locals and foreigners. New businesses thrive because the city is set for convenient mobility, its people have high incomes and equally higher standards of living. According to the Office of the City Treasurer, there are 48 shopping centers in the city and a reported total of Php15.5 billion in total revenues last 2017. In addition to an active retail consumer base, Makati is also the perfect location to spread brand awareness from as it has over 3,000 corporate offices and 7 of 27 five-star hotels. With an environmental agenda in need of influential support, STOR’s proximity to 87 embassies and consulates including the office of the United Nations will also be an advantage. In addition to retail sales, Makati is the best place to open a flagship store as foreign investors frequent Makati for new business opportunities.

5.6.2. Fort Bonifacio Location

Also called Bonifacio Global City (BGC), this area is considered to have an ideal balance of lifestyle and financial districts as it was only developed 20 years ago. It’s urban planning is well organized with the area housing luxurious condominiums, high-end restaurants, exclusive

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international schools, and a growing shopping scene comprised of both shopping malls and strips of outdoor boutique stores. Based on a census from 2015, there are only 11,739 residents in Fort Bonifacio. However, throughout the day, the area is populated with office workers, entrepreneurs, shoppers and tourists for its busy commercial hub making it an ideal location for STOR.

5.6.3. Quezon Location

Fitting our target market of intelligent and mindful consumers, Quezon is the next best choice for a STOR branch in Manila. Quezon is the Philippines largest city and is consequently where 23 percent of Metro Manila’s population resides. The top 2 schools in the country are located here – University of the Philippines Diliman and Ateneo de Manila University and its literacy rate is at 99.74 percent which is the highest in the country. Quezon is highly urbanized and is generally considered to be a residential district for middle and high-income households where our direct target market of healthy and environmentally-conscious consumers lives. Like Makati, Quezon also hosts over 40 shopping complexes making it an ideal city for STOR to be located in.

5.6.4. Pasay Location

The 12^th largest mall in the world, SM Mall of Asia (MOA), is in Pasay City. According to the mall’s archives, SM MOA has a gross floor area of approximately 406,962 square meters and attracts 500,000 people on weekdays and as much as 1,000,000 on weekends and holidays. The mall has a mix of luxury and mass-market stores. Surrounding the mall are other entertainment grounds such as an amusement park, an arena for national sports events, a science center, a convention center that hosts international exhibits and Manila’s largest concert ground that has a capacity of 110,000 people. SM MOA is a shopping and entertainment destination for locals and tourists. Opening a branch here will give STOR immediate exposure to over millions of

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potential consumers from the high traffic and active shopping in SM MOA.

5.6.5. Mandaluyong Location

The 8^th largest mall in the world with a maximum capacity of 4 million people, SM Megamall is in Mandaluyong. Unlike MOA which is an attraction for foreign tourists and visited by high-end consumers, Megamall has over 500 shops including groceries, movie theatres, drug stores, several large food courts and other servicing shops that serve the masses. Megamall is frequented by students, office workers and middle-class families as it is accessible by various forms of public transport. The mall is open from 10am to 10pm daily attracting a daily foot traffic of 800,000 p. Although Megamall does not attract high-end consumers, there is still a huge market from our target audience whose profile fall under socioeconomic class B student and workers who are environmentally conscious.