‘HOME OF BIG IDEAS’ CONTINUES TO FLY HIGH

For Wilcon Depot, where Ong serves as SEVP-COO, the pandemic was a test, a chance to prove how far the home improvement and construction supplies retailer can handle business difficulties.

While no one was prepared for the challenges that the pandemic brought upon businesses, those who are willing to adapt and respond accordingly can turn the crisis into new opportunities, she noted.

As with everyone in the retail industry, Wilcon faced equally tough and challenging situations over the past 20 months.

“Staying afloat during the hard times is Wilcon’s testament to our commitment and values,” Ong said.

Wilcon Depot’s paramount ingredient for success? The company’s ability to remain focused on the things that matter most.

“For Wilcon, the most important things are our stakeholders: our employees, our valued customers and our industry partners,” Ong said.

It has always been the company’s thrust to serve Filipino homeowners and builders by providing them not only with top-notch and high quality home improvement and building needs, but also excellent customer experience.

“We always seek to give them delight at every possible touchpoint in their shopping journey, whether in our physical stores or online shops,” explained Ong. This level of customer experience has reinforced Wilcon’s position as everyone’s go-to store when it comes to home and building essentials.

Despite the pandemic, the company has remained unfazed, even managing to add to its growing roster of stores by opening nine new branches in key areas around the country. The company took the opportunity to enable more Filipinos, who are now doing everything from the confines of their homes, to make their living spaces “their safest and most loved place to stay in” during this time.

Seeing the rise in the demand for home improvement and construction supplies, Wilcon went on with its store openings to bring its services closer to valued patrons nationwide.

The retailer is set to open another Mindanao branch before the year ends as it steadily moves forward with its #FlyingHighTo100 store expansion campaign. Located in Bukidnon, store number 73 brings the company closer to its goal of having 100 operational stores by 2025. Ten more branches are being set out to open in key cities in the country in 2022.

Taking note of how the pandemic has exposed the retail sector to many uncertainties, Ong pointed out that retailers have also gained invaluable experiences through it, which “will keep us going and bring us to new heights.”

Ong added: “Let us be the retailers who find opportunities to innovate and never stop growing.”