Makro to return to PH after nearly 20 years, with 4 Ayala estate locations
MANILA, Philippines – Makro is making a comeback in the Philippines, nearly two decades after the wholesale retailer disappeared from the local market. This time, it’s teaming up with Ayala to open stores in four of the property group’s estates across the Greater Manila Area.
Ayala Land has signed lease agreements with Makro Philippines for stores in Cloverleaf in Balintawak, Quezon City; Broadfield in Biñan, Laguna; Arca South in Taguig City; and Evo City in Kawit, Cavite.
Filipinos might remember Makro from its first local run, and there’s a chance that you still shop from stores that once bore their name. The membership shopping brand first entered the Philippines in March 1996, through a joint venture involving Dutch firm SHV, Ayala, and the SM Group.
Ayala later sold its stake in 2004. In 2009, SM eventually took control and converted the Makro stores into SM Hypermarkets.
Now, Makro is back again through a partnership with Thai-listed CP Axtra, with four Ayala estates set to host its new stores. So where will you find the new stores this time? (READ: The renovation is done. Now Ayala is changing the shops inside its malls.)
- Arca South is a 74-hectare mixed-use estate positioned as a commercial and transport gateway to southern Metro Manila. The Makro there will operate inside Ayala Malls Arca South.
- Cloverleaf, meanwhile, sits at the junction of EDSA and the North Luzon Expressway, making it a northern gateway to Metro Manila.
- Broadfield in Biñan is Ayala Land’s first business campus in Laguna, with locators in manufacturing, logistics and business services.
- Evo City in Kawit extends the Makro partnership into one of Luzon’s rapidly urbanizing growth corridors.
As for when you can start filling your carts, ACX Holdings said in April that it was targeting the first Makro stores between Q4 2026 and Q1 2027, with Cloverleaf and Arca South slated to come first, according to a BusinessWorld report.
The Makro brand started in the Netherlands when SHV opened the first Makro cash-and-carry store in Amsterdam in 1968. For Asian shoppers, however, Makro is more familiar as the Thai-operated wholesale chain. (READ: From Terminal 21 to Platinum: Your guide to Bangkok shopping)
Its Thai business was established as Siam Makro in 1988, with its first store opening in Ladprao, Bangkok, in 1989. It later expanded to Rangsit, just north of Bangkok, where a Makro branch opened in 1994. (READ: Rangsit: Bangkok’s gateway, told through food)
Today, Makro in Thailand is operated by CP Axtra, which also runs the popular Thai grocery chain Lotus’s. Its stores sell fresh and dry food, imported products and non-food essentials, serving both businesses and households. In the Philippines, Makro is a joint venture between Ayala Corporation and CP Axtra. – Rappler.com
