Value-for-money products, personalized service work

It started as a small shop that catered specifically to the tile market in Cebu back in 2001.

Demand for a more inclusive shop complete with all materials needed for one to build his home however pushed the company to move forward and become one of Cebu’s known shop brand in the retail construction industry that caters to the middle-income market.

Sharon Ong, Worldwide Home Depot marketing and sales manager credited the firm’s growth to value-for-money products and its personalized service to clients.

Worldwide Home Depot first opened in Lahug, Cebu City in a 300 square meter space offering value-for-money tile and bathroom fixture products.

The company is an expansion of the family’s core business of manufacturing materials for the structural needs of a building, said Ann Marjorie Ong Yang, Worldwide Home Depot president, and Sharon Ong, the firm’s marketing and sales director.

They started with six hired people to help them run the shop.

“Back then, there were other local companies offering the same products to the Cebuano market but we managed to grow the brand by offering a wide inventory that fit whatever clients would need along their budget, said Yang.

Later they expanded and opened a factory outlet along Sacris Road in Mandaue City, where the company’s warehouse was also located.

The factory outlet helped the firm to make its prices more competitive even to clients who only bought a few hundred pieces.

Aside from the value-for-money products that they offered, their personalized service won over scores of customers.

“We always see to it that they are served well by our people or even by us. Sometimes hearing what people have to say about your products or your services could define the line of competition, said Ong.

“We still do that, sometimes we go to our clients offices and just try and listen and talk to them on how else we can help them through our products,” Ong added.

Today, Worldwide Home Depot has four outlets located in strategic market points in the already booming Cebu market and servicing other key cities in the country including Manila.

“We have two home depots. One is located in N. Bacalso Avenue and another one in Carcar City and we have two tile depots located in Sacris Road and A.S. Fortuna Street in Mandaue City,” said Yang.

They now also have over a hundred people in the company to work on the different operational requirements for the growing brand.

Since 2008, the firm offered other construction materials needed to build a home or a whole subdivision by their contractor clients.

They also offered Do-It-Yourself (DIY) products, an emerging trend for retail customers who prefer doing some of their home improvements themselves.

“We have a lot of DIY products already in our shops because people are starting to buy them. We saw the need for the expansion of product lines because nowadays people want to only talk to one person for all their building needs,” said Ong.

Recently, they added a  Designer’s Lounge in their N. Bacalso Avenue branch, which gives customers options on what products they could use in their homes.

“The Designer’s Lounge features a software that will simulate the designs that the customers wants to apply in their homes using products that we have in the stores,” said Yang.

Yang said more clients had since appreciated the Lounge and more of them actually use it to decide which products to buy.

“We have also recently offered other products that we use to offer in our other companies like the Cebu Diamond Industrial & Manufacturing Corp. and Worldwide Polytech Industries, Inc. in our N. Bacalso branch to complete our Home Depot theme,” said Ong.

With Cebu’s robust economic growth, the family said they expect more requirements for construction materials which is the core business of the whole group.

“We are seeing more buildings and houses to be built in Cebu and we are planning to add one more Home Depot in Mandaue because right now we still don’t have that. We only have the tile depot which is limited to tile products only,” said Ong.

They also plan to set up Designer Lounges in their other shops.

Ong said offering value for money products and personalized services would help the company remain on top of the competitive market in Cebu.