Watsons Philippines, the country’s largest health and beauty retailer chain, has partnered with all-electric vehicle (EV) logistics provider Mober to advance its goal of delivering products in a sustainable and responsible manner as it expands to 1,300 stores nationwide by end this year.
The partnership was sealed by Watsons Philippines Managing Director Danilo S. Chiong and Mober founder and CEO Dennis Ng during a signing ceremony Friday at the Watsons LIIP Distribution Center in Biñan, Laguna.
Under the partnership, Mober will provide four brand-new EV trucks to deliver Watsons products across Metro Manila, Southern Luzon and the e-commerce business.
Chiong said the partnership will start with four vehicles, but “I know that we will not end with four trucks.”
EV trucks
Ng said that Mober will deploy a total of 15 EV trucks to Watsons by the end of this year.
As part of its sustainable operations, Watsons will strive to use EVs in all of its operations in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Watsons currently has 1,200 stores and expects to reach 1,300 stores by the end of the year, in addition to its online marketplaces.
Chiong said its collaboration with Mober demonstrates how sustainability can be translated into practical, everyday action by finding better ways to operate while continuing to deliver the services that its customers demand.
“We are proud to work with more, whose expertise is sustainable logistics complements our commitment to building sustainable operations,” he said.
Chiong noted that Watsons’ original mantra is “Look Good and Feel good.” This time, the motto has been changed to “Do Good, Look Good, Feel great” because good intentions are not enough.
“Sustainable business requires more than just good intention, but requires action, innovation, and partnership,” he said.
As a leader and champion of sustainability in health, wellness and beauty retail, Watsons embeds responsible practices across its products, stores, operations and supply chain, continuously finding practical ways to create a more positive impact on people and the planet.
For his part, Ng said, “Mober is honored to support Watsons bring its products, closer to Filipino communities, faster, smarter, and greener.”
Ng also shared that Mober has been employing female drivers as part of its inclusive operations. Mober currently has eight female drivers, some of whom will also be deployed to operate the EV trucks assigned to Watsons.
Meanwhile, Sharon Decapia, Watsons Vice President for Marketing and Sustainability, said deliveries using Watsons’ EV trucks currently account for 10 percent of all its routes and will eventually be scaled up. Watsons also has other third-party logistics providers aside from Mober.
Mober is also installing an EV charging facility at the Watsons distribution center.
For the March-to-May period this year, Decapia said Watsons’ EV trucks completed 109 trips and reduced its carbon emissions by 656 kilograms.
Watsons has four distribution centers, including facilities in Pampanga and Cebu, all of which are solar-powered.
Growth
In addition, Decapia said Watsons expects sales to grow despite the challenging domestic economy, noting there are emerging categories that customers are doing well.
For instance, she said Filipino beauty brands are among the categories that help drive sales for Watsons.
Aside from cleaner logistics, Decapia said Watsons has dedicated space for sustainable products.
For one, the company is promoting refill-pack products because they consume 75 percent less energy than bottled versions where savings can reach as much as 30 percent of the original price. “It is good for the planet and good for the budget,” she said.
As part of its sustainability efforts, Watsons encourages customers to bring their own bags to reduce the use of paper bags, which are now being sold for PHP1 for the large size. Decapia said there has been a significant decline in the use of paper bags. Soon, she said, Watsons will introduce fun reusable bags.
Watsons has also opened 300 drop-off points where customers can bring cleaned empty beauty-product containers for recycling and receive rewards, even if the products were not purchased at Watsons.
