Watsons opened its 8,000th store in Asia on Thursday at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay. Screenshots from Watson's Facebook Page stories

MANILA -- Health and beauty retailer Watsons opened its 8,000th store in Asia on Thursday at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay.

Malina Ngai, Group CEO of AS Watson Group said the company chose to mark its big expansion milestone in the Philippines as it is its top market in Asia.

“It’s a very vibrant country with over 110 million population and a lot of you have increasing needs in health, beauty and personal care. This is Watsons’ expertise so that’s why we are here for you,” said Ngai.

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Ngai also cited Watsons’ strong partnership with the SM Group’s Sy family led by SM Investments Corporation Vice Chairperson Tessie Sy-Coson, who attended the launch.

During her speech, Sy-Coson expressed SM’s continued support for the brand as it seeks to open more stores across the country.

“Watsons is one of the main reasons that we can say we’ve got it all. It is our honor and privilege to be part of this global company,” she said.

Also in attendance were Elizabeth Sy, the president and chairman of SM Hotels and Conventions Corp., as well as SM Prime’s Hans Sy.

Watsons opened its first store in the Philippines, in partnership with SM Prime Holdings, Inc., back in 2002.

It has since expanded to nearly 1,200 branches nationwide— employing about 10,000 Filipinos.

At 900 square meters, the new Watsons branch at SM MOA is one of their largest stores in the country, according to Watsons Philippines Managing Director Danilo Chiong.

“We are also thrilled to bring more convenience with our self-checkout counters, expanded pharmacy services with over 3,5000 SKUs, led by credible, caring pharmacists, and the introduction of our click and collect service, a key feature of our online and offline strategy,” said Chiong.