“We have a collaborative working relationship complementing skills from both
organisations conjointly focused in providing the best product, the best service
and the best shopping experience to Alfamart customers that will, in effect, create
mutually sustainable, profitable business growth.” – Janmar J Roque, Customer
Business Development Group Head, NutriAsiaIn the Philippines, shoppers often rely on convenience
stores, since some of the world’s worst traffic and poor
public transport make supermarkets difficult to access.
Of course, that leaves shoppers paying more, for less variety,
opening a niche for Alfamart to operate in.
But Harvey doesn’t see the chain as competing with
convenience stores – to him, it’s part of a robust retail
environment. Alfamart also represents a complete change
of career when he accepted the role in 2016, a far cry
from his previous roles with companies such as Procter
& Gamble (P&G).
“Throughout my career, I’ve worked with the biggest
companies and brands,” he recalls. “Alfamart was the opposite
of that. It’s backed by two big companies – Alfamart
being one of the retail giants in Indonesia with more than14,000 stores, and [investment firm] SM Group, which
is huge here.
“But when it started in the Philippines, Alfamart as
an entity was relatively unheard of. I thought that was
a good challenge as I entered the later stages of my career.
An opportunity to leave a legacy, to be part of growing
something from nothing.”
While the support of the two owners has been invaluable
(SM Group providing immediate “clout” and “street cred”
with suppliers, and the parent company in Indonesia offering
refined operational systems), Harvey has been free to grow“WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE, NO MATTER HOW SMALL, IN THE LIVES OF SO MANY.”
INSPIRE | INSPIRE | InterviewInterview