Koror, Palau – Palau will soon have what would be considered the biggest supermarket in the country as a private company gears up for the completion of its construction next year.
Surangel and Sons Co. Chief Information Officer (CIO) Eric Ksau Whipps, in an interview, said that their company is currently building a supercenter in Ngetkib Hamlet, Airai State, adding that what makes it unique is that it is being built outside Koror, the central economic hub of Palau.
The design of the two-story supermarket, which will be called Surangel’s Supercenter Airai, will have a cultural touch as it draws inspiration from the traditional canoe’s outrigger.
CIO Whipps said that the building will be “flatter” and will cost more than the construction price of Surangel’s Supercenter in Koror.
He shared that it has always been the dream of his father to build a store that is accessible to the people who are living outside Koror State.
“My father grew up in Ngatpang and Airai and he always wanted to build a store that is accessible to the people outside of Koror so that’s something we’ve always wanted to do. So when that space became available, we took that opportunity to build it in Airai,” Whipps said.
Apart from fulfilling his father’s long-time dream, Whipps also said that the location of the store is ideal because it will allow more parking spaces and will be able to provide more item selections.
The CIO said that the plan to build another supercenter was made based on their sales observations and also based on public data that there are now more people living in the area where the establishment is being constructed.
Apart from that, the new supermarket is also expected to decongest customers that are crowding their Koror branch. But the CIO added that there are still more exciting developments to the store that they are still finalizing and will soon be announcing.
The new supermarket will soon house groceries and hardware stores, among others.