Customers shop at a Co.op Smile store in HCM City. The modern grocery chain is running a number of many promotions and organising community activities to mark its 100th store and thank customers for their support. — Photo courtesy of Saigon Co.op

Saigon Co.op and its subsidiary Saigon Co.op Grocery Co Ltd on December 18 celebrated the opening of the 100th Co.op Smile modern grocery store in HCM City.

Apart from other retail systems of Saigon Co.op, like the Co.opmart supermarket chain, Co.opXtra hypermarkets, Co.op Food convenience stores, Ben Thanh shops, Sense City commercial centres, the SC Vivo City complex, and HTV Co.op shopping channel, Co.op Smile was a completely new retail model when it came into being in 2016, a unique upgraded version of traditional grocery stores.

Nguyen Linh Trang, director of Saigon Co.op Grocery, said among the factors that help Co.op Smile attract consumers are the stores’ convenient location and shopping space, a goods list comprising products used in daily life at very reasonable prices and friendly service.

Depending on their location, they range in size from 20sq.m to 200sq.m and stock 1,500 to 2,000 items, including processed foods, cosmetics, household appliances, Saigon Co.op’s private label products, and price-stabilised products, with some also selling packaged fresh foods including origin-traceable pork.

Customers can also pay phone, electricity, Internet, and cable TV bills, transfer money, and buy mobile top-up cards and others.

To say thanks to customers who have supported the chain in the last three years, the 100 Co.op Smile stores have offered many attractive promotion programmes and undertaken meaningful community activities.

They include joining customers in a programme called "Giving old clothes - sharing happiness" to spread joy by giving small gifts to less fortunate people.

The Co.op Smile chain has also expanded its knowledge bookshelves model in many areas to enable customers to come to read. — VNS