Robinsons Retail Holdings, one of three giants that dominate retail in the Philippines, has begun moving more of its US$2.7bn (S$3.7bn) empire online.
The company plans to triple the number of supermarkets that ship web orders by 2018. Other parts of the conglomerate, including department stores, will eventually follow.
Robinsons joins SM Investments and Ayala in exploring e-commerce for a country where life revolves around the old-fashioned mall. All three launched online shops or invested in services over the past year, responding to a generation of smartphone-toting consumers exploring alternatives, like Alibaba Group Holding’s Lazada.