Growsari expands to VisMin, digitally empowering 300K small physical stores

Filipino B2B startup Growsari has announced its expansion in Visayas and Mindanao to digitally empower an estimate of 300,000 small physical stores in the country.

Founded in 2016, GrowSari is a leading tech-enabled B2B platform that helps the Philippines’ small physical retail stores, including neighborhood retail shops (sari-sari stores), roadside and market shops (carinderia), and pharmacies, enhance their service levels and access a wider range of products and value-adding services. This allows the stores to provide local communities with more comprehensive offerings, including digital services.

The startup will be using the USD 77.5 million it raised from its Series C round of funding to triple the number of store partners that will benefit from using its platform within two years, with an estimate of 300,000 store partners by 2023.

Growsari’s expansion in Visayas and Mindanao include key cities such as Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, and General Santos. In total, Growsari’s presence is now in 20 key cities and 400 municipalities nationwide.

The added services that Growsari store partners can have access to through the app include telco credits, money remittance, bills payment, e-commerce, WiFi, and other e-services.

“Through our platform, store owners have access to new revenue streams which allow them to maximize their capital,” says Growsari chief executive and co-founder Reymund ‘ER’ Rollan. “In addition, we are doubling down on our capabilities to improve the overall customer experience and look to expand our ability to provide access to credit and basic financial services, which is a key pain point for MSMEs who have limited access.”