PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. over the weekend welcomed the plan of Malaysian retail specialist Valiram Group to expand its operations in the Philippines by developing airport outlets for duty-free retail tourism.

This was revealed during Marcos’ meeting with Valiram Group executives in Singapore last Saturday, where the possibility of the firm adding to its portfolio in the country over the next five years was discussed.

Marcos acknowledged that retail business is a significant part of today’s economy and of the tourism industry in the case of Valiram.

“It’s an important sector of the economy. It’s what’s driving the economy now, it is consumer spending,” he said.

Valiram bared having a network of over 500 stores, with many “still not yet represented in the Philippines” — the reason it is “looking forward to expanding very quickly.”

Likewise, the Malaysian firm said it wants to “bring customer experience to another level,” especially by giving them more space at the nation’s gateways, removing the stress and hassles of security checks.

Valiram’s development priorities include having duty-free access at airports. It is now in the process of building more airport walk-through stores personalized to provide customers with a pleasant shopping experience.

Established in 1935 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Valiram is Southeast Asia’s leading luxury goods and retail specialist with a presence in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau and Vietnam.

During the meeting, the President was joined by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil, Special Adviser Frederick Go, and Ambassador Medardo Antonio Macaraig.