Toby’s Sports Opens Flagship Store in BGC

Toby’s Sports, the leading sports retailer in the Philippines, has opened a new, innovative flagship store that highlights its long-standing commitment to elevating its retail experience to world-class standards.

Toby’s Sports held a special preview party of the new flagship store situated in the heart of the bustling Bonifacio Global City (BGC) last Nov. 28. The event, called “Pinnacle of Sports,” gathered celebrities, athletes, sports enthusiasts, and members of the media who had a first look at the new flagship store. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was spearheaded by Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano and Toby’s Sports officials.

Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano leads the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Toby's Sports' flagship store at Bonifacio Global City.


Among those who attended the star-studded launch were Christine Jacob-Sandejas, Miss International Kylie Verzosa, Adidas country manager Adrien Semblat, actors Bubbles Paraiso, Bobby Yan, and Tessa Prieto-Valdes, and athletes from the PBA, UAAP, and NCAA.

The 1,000sqm, two-story space houses a premium assortment of footwear, sports apparel and equipment from the world’s best brands. According to Toby Claudio, President of Toby’s Sports, “we wanted to create an iconic store, a pinnacle shopping experience in the heart of Metro Manila.” To achieve that, the store utilizes cutting-edge technology, such as stunning LED displays towering over 5th avenue and multiple interactive touch screens that uses RFID technology to show information on its latest products. It also features various zones that create an experiential shopping experience:

PLAYZone. The flagship store features an interactive PLAYZone to host events and sports clinics on a regular basis. It also doubles as a basketball court, which utilizes a professional-grade basketball shooting machine, where people can hone their shooting skills. Prizes will be given out regularly to top scorers in the Toby’s Shooout game.

LAUNCHZone. As its names suggests, the LAUNCHZone will host product launches that feature the latest innovations from the top sports brands. Toby’s Sports also plans to use this area for curated installations, special VIP events and athlete appearances.

• Toby’s Custom Lab. The Toby’s Custom Lab, located on the 2nd level, offers apparel customization services. With the capability to create full custom uniforms and jerseys, it will include express customization via sublimation, making a more personalized customer experience.

• Run Signature Analysis. The flagship store offers Run Signature gait and running form analysis, from Brooks. It is a radical new approach to gait analysis that takes an in-depth look at the body’s natural running characteristics so that the store personnel can offer the ideal shoes to every customer.

Latest Retail Technologies

The Toby’s Flagship is one of the first stores in the country to feature a highly digital experience where customers can browse the retailer’s e-commerce website, tobys.com, on large interactive walls in the store. Toby’s Sports also uses RFID technology that allows customers to unlock virtual content by placing a shoe on their Shoe Showcase platforms and browse all its specs and features via touchscreen.

“We harnessed the latest technology to bring our store experience to the next level.  We wanted to create more than just a store, but a space that tells stories about the latest sports innovations and inspire people to play”, Claudio said.

World-class Interiors

Toby’s Sports commissioned the tandem of world-renowned German architectural firm Blocher + Blocher and Philippine-based Sonia Olivares & Associates (SSOa) to bring to life the retailer’s vision for its first flagship store.

The interior design combines architectural details inspired by Manila’s raw aesthetics with larger-than-life graphics and pops of color that represent the vibrant nature of sports.

The concrete walls and metal fixtures create a modern-urban aesthetic, allowing the products displayed to take center stage. The central staircase, which features a massive lighted wall, serve as the centerpiece of store. Neon lights, inspired by the city’s bright lights, were also used to call
out the different product categories and zones of the store.

Going Omnichannel

Toby’s Sports also saw the flagship store as the perfect opportunity to marry its offline and online initiatives to truly provide an immersive omnichannel experience.  The store offers a Click & Collect service that allows its online consumers to pick-up their orders in the store within hours. Toby’s Sports also plans to fully equip its products with QR codes that will lead customers to a particular product’s page in its online store. Soon, Toby’s Sports will introduce an automated locker area, where online customers can pick-up their orders 24/7, even when the  store is closed, using a generated passcode that will be sent directly to the customer’s mobile phone.
"Although our physical stores have been our bread and butter for the past 40 years, we have seen incredible growth in our online business since we re-launched tobys.com in late 2016. Now, we want to make shopping even more convenient to our customers by offering a seamless online-to-offline shopping experience,” Claudio said.

Embracing Growth in its 40th Year

The opening of the Toby’s Sports flagship store also signals the company’s commitment to further solidifying its place as the sports retailer of choice for Filipinos. Apart from its focus on elevating the experience of its current pool of customers, Toby’s Sports also aims to expand its footprint, opening more stores not just in the Metro, but also in various provinces across the country.
“The new Toby’s Sports flagship store is a statement we wanted to make, that even after 40 years in the business, we are still looking for ways to improve. It has allowed s us to provide new and exciting experiences and best-level products for our customers. My hope is that the flagship can become an epicenter for sports and sneaker culture in the Philippines,” Claudio concluded.
Toby’s Sports now has 55 stores nationwide, with more stores in the pipeline in the coming years.

Be a Watsons Switcher and Save up to 80% on your purchases

It was about two years ago, when I first started to become a regular at Watsons SM North. That was when I discovered that they have been selling their generics line.  I started to switch my branded glutathione to their generic. (I have been taking glutathione for wellness, not for whitening but I have noticed considerably evened smooth skin as side effect). It has the same efficacy and quality at an amazingly affordable price. I actually saved 80% of what I paid for compared to Japanese Gluta brand that I have been using for 4 years. That's a lot of savings.  Now,  I dont need to go to a different pharmacy for my multivitamins, medicines and antibiotics.

The savings I got I bought toiletries on their Buy One Take One promo.  Then I chanced upon Naturals Watsons Argan Oil Shampoo.

Aside from their Glutathione tablets, their Argan Oil Shampoo is the best and affordable Argan Oil shampoo in the market today. It is paraben free, detangles and made my hair thicker. Plus I love its relaxing floral smell. This helps a lot with my colored treated hair.

Watsons PH recently launched the Switch and Save TVC with its newest Celebrity Mom endorser Kylie Padilla on March 16 at Makati Shangri-la together with Watsons five celebrity endorsers Christian Bautista, Tessa Prieto-Valdes, Iya Villana, Lorna Tolentino, and Edu Manzano. Watsons executives, Ms. Karen Fabres Group Marketing Manager Watsons, Ms. Viki Encarnacion Watsons Marketing Director and Krisel Macatangay Watsons Marketing Manager graced the launch.

Kylie Padilla

Tessa Prieto Valdes

Lorna Tolentino

Iya Villania

Edu Manzano

It was an afternoon full of fun with the Watsons Celebrity endorsers as they played Switcher's Feud with the selected bloggers/media while Watsons celebrity ambassador Edu Manzano hosted the game.

Everyone competed to name the most popular responses to survey questions on Watsons products posted on LED display screen.

Five years ago, the country’s economy was going through unstable times. Consumers were faced with tightening budgets, forced to choose where they would spend and where they would cut down. Watsons wanted help. So in 2012, they launched the “Switch & Save” campaign, an educational effort that showed smart shoppers how to save on their personal care essentials in order to afford more of the things they really wanted. All they had to do was shift from the leading brand to the Watsons brand.

Ms. Karen Fabres, Watsons Group Marketing Manager 

Krisel Macatangay Watsons Marketing Manager.

Ms. Viki Encarnacion Watsons Marketing Director

In those first years, the simple idea proved a smashing success. Watsons customers all across the country made the switch, changing out their toothbrushes, tissues, lotions and more for the affordable, high quality Watsons alternative. With such great momentum behind the movement, they decided to expand the campaign to the pharmacy. Launching Watsons Generics in 2014, Watsons was able to bring that same promise of affordable quality to Filipinos everywhere. Improving the state of nation’s healthcare was a huge win.

But even with so many switchers on board, not everyone seemed to be convinced. The notion that “cheaper means lower quality” had some shoppers resisting the change. Yet the Watsons team knew the truth- that with their products’ amazing quality, most people wouldn’t even feel the difference. That’s when a big idea was born- The Switch Test. The team would mount an in-store activity that asked shoppers to compare Watsons to the leading brands. The hitch- they’d have to do it blind. Without being able to see the brands, customers were asked to try out two products and choose the one they would rather buy.

From body scrubs to hair irons, shoppers felt their way through the Watsons selection, and the results were overwhelming.

8 out of 10 shoppers chose the Watsons Label product over the leading branded counterpart, an amazing testament to Watsons quality. But the surprises didn’t end there. When informed of the savings they could get with Watsons Label, the remaining shoppers who at first chose the leading brands were also convinced to make the switch. With results like these, the team knew that they were on to something big. The next challenge was to bring the same experience to more people.

Watsons Karen Fabres, Danilo Chiong, Jared De Guzman, Viki Encarnacion, Aida Lapez with Edu Manzano, Lorna Tolentino, Iya Villania, Kylie Padilla and Christian Bautista



Gathering together Watsons six celebrity endorsers (Christian Bautista, Tessa Prieto-Valdes, Iya Villana, Kylie Padilla, Lorna Tolentino, and Edu Manzano), they put them all to the Switch Test. Running the same blind test used in stores, Watsons asked each of the celebs the simple question, “What’s the difference between these two products?” Their verdict- none! Not even our discerning endorsers could tell the difference between Watsons products quality and the leading brands’. There was, however, one big change they all noted. If you switch to Watsons, you can save up to 80%.

With so much more waiting to happen this 2017, Watsons will be kick starting the year through the launch of the new Switch and Save TV commercial. Catch it and see if you can tell the difference between a Watsons brand and your brand, or if you too will be convinced to Switch and Save!

Switch and Save at Watson's and get a Switcher's Surprise!

Did you know that you can actually save thousands of pesos in shopping money, simply by studying those labels and taking note of their prices? Unfortunately, doing that requires a lot of time, not to mention a lot of effort in comparing each brand one by one. But hey if you are really eyeing that new phone, or saving up for that overdue vacation, every peso counts right?

Thankfully, I found a better, and easier way to save money and enjoy my shopping at the same time-- and I discovered that during my regular trips to Watsons!


Before, I was just kind of an occassional  "smart shopper". You know, the time you only consider about trying to save as much when you want to buy something? In my case, its always been bags, so whenever I find a bag I really like that is the only time I become very meticulous (translate: kuripot when shopping)

It was about two years ago, when I first started to become a regular at Watsons SM North. During the first few times I just went there to buy a few things like toiletries and some personal care items  But as I began to spend more time in the store, I discovered that they had a lot of equivalent item for the branded ones that i bought.

So how do you save at watsons?  By making the Switch and Save of course!

First, its all about convenience, since Watsons stores are located strategically whether you are commuting to or from work, or even if you are driving your own car, they have almost 400 stores all over the country so its easy to find one near you, so you dont have to make that extra stop or make an effort to find one.

Second,  Watsons Label products takes out the guesswork when finding quality products. With over a hundred years of pharmacy experience and recognized as one of Asia's leading retailer, you are assured that you get quality products just by their brand.

Third, Watsons label products are priced considerably lower, and you can save as much as 60 to even 80 percent on their items as compared to other brands.  Not to mention their have a lot of buy 1 take one offers.

Last year they even launched their own generics line so I dont need to go to a different pharmacy for my multivitamins and medicines/ antibiotics as well!

This year, Watsons’ further rewards smart shoppers who have made the SWITCH and SAVE with the SWITCHER’S SURPRISE campaign. The Switcher’s Surprise campaign brings to life the idea that by switching to Watsons label, customers are able to save money for things that they really want or that matters the most to them.

Last January 26 and January 28, several shoppers at the SM Mall of Asia had a double surprise waiting for them simply by making the switch and choosing Watsons Label products. These include a wide range of selected products from personal care to generic medicines likeWatsons Glutathione, Watsons Travel Hair Dryer, Watsons Argan Oil Hair Conditioner, Watsons Body Scrub, Watsons Collagen, and Watsons Breath Strips, among others.

During designated hours of the day, shoppers who pick up specially marked Watsons Label products instantly get the chance to win fabulous prizes, such as a flatscreen TV, a Macbook Air, and a trip for 2 to Hong Kong!

The lucky shoppers were guided to a specially designed booth where they get their surprise – a most coveted prize personally handed by celebrity endorsers Lorna Tolentino, Iya Villania, Tessa Prieto-Valdes, Patty Laurel-Filart and Christian Bautista!

“On top of the savings they get from purchasing Watsons Label products, our loyal shoppers have also gotten used to receiving cute items and tokens, so this year we decided to raise the stakes and reward them with something truly unforgettable,” says Karen Fabres, Group Marketing Manager of Watsons Philippines

“Could it be a weekend staycation, airline tickets, maybe a shiny new gadget or phone or it could be the luxury item they have long been saving for, that is what makes the Switcher Surprise even more exciting,” adds Fabres.

“Our customers shop at Watsons to save on the things they really want in life, but with the Switcher Surprise promo, they might just bring home that thing they’ve saving up for with but a single purchase!” It’s definitely a lot easier to enjoy what life has to offer when you choose to Switch and Save the Watsons way.”

For Iya and Patty, Watsons has become their go-to place for their beauty and skincare needs as well as toiletries saying they get the same quality as branded ones but at a more affordable price.

Socialite and self-confessed Tessa on the other hand says she realized that she’s saving even more by buying bigger sizes and more quantity, “so the more I shop the more I actually save!”

Even the men are also discovering Watsons as the idea; place to get their personal care needs, just like Christian Bautista, “There’s always a Watsons conveniently located near you and because of its organized store layout you can easily find what you need quicker.”

As the newest addition to the Watson’s family, Lorna advises making the switch to Watsons Generics. “Women at any age need to keep themselves looking and feeling healthy and with Watsons Generics you are guaranteed to get quality medicine and even save as much as 80 percent!”

Watsons Label believes that with more value from hard-earned money spent on quality affordable products, every Filipino gets more savings to enjoy the other important things in life with their loved ones. With a wider variety of products, from personal care items, beauty essentials, and now medicine, Asia’s leading personal care store provides smart shoppers the choice to save as much as 80 percent without compromising on quality.


In addition to Switcher Surprise, Watson also has the ongoing Buy 2 Take 1 Promo on selected Watsons Label Products until March 2016.