Our Founder
SM’s story is an extraordinary story of one man with a simple dream, to sell a good pair of shoes to every Filipino.
In the late 1950’s, our founder, Henry Sy started his first company, ShoeMart, a small shoe store in Carriedo, Manila. Fueled with the passion to serve his customers better every day, he found different ways to provide excellent customer experience, anticipating their needs and innovating retail so that every Filipino can enjoy the SM experience.
Having a deep understanding of teamwork, Henry Sy worked and grew alongside his suppliers, looked after his employees and helped the communities he served. Through the years, we continued to build on these aspirations as SM fulfills its role in building sustainable businesses that are catalysts for responsible development in the communities we serve.
After 6 decades, Henry Sy’s values are upheld by the second and third generations of the Sy Family, working alongside thousands of employees with a shared sense of purpose, committed to improving the quality of life of the communities we serve and constantly finding ways to provide opportunities for growth.
Today, SM become the country’s largest conglomerate, touching the lives of millions of Filipinos and creating shared value for all that we serve.
“In good times, I do my usual work. But in bad times, I work harder.”
Tatang Henry Sy
SM Founder
Our Vision
Sustainability is at the heart of our vision—to build an ecosystem of sustainable businesses that are catalysts for responsible development in the communities we serve. We are committed to partner with our host communities to provide a consistently high standard of service to our customers, look after the welfare of our employees and deliver sustainable returns to our shareholders, at all times upholding the highest standards of corporate governance and environmental stewardship in all our businesses.
Our Mission
We will provide a consistently high standard of service to our customers, look after the welfare of our employees and deliver sustainable returns to our shareholders, at all times upholding the highest standards of corporate governance and environmental stewardship in all our businesses.
What We Stand For
Entrepreneurship
Drive and Enthusiasm
Teamwork
Integrity
Leadership
“We continue to focus on empowering the lives of our millions of Filipino customers, creating growth and enabling responsible development nationwide. We are committed to environmental responsibility and to our efforts to tackle climate change. We believe in delivering shared value, providing good governance and to acting on our responsibility as one of the leading groups of companies in the Philippines.”
Our Value Creation
We are clear and focused about how our businesses work together and create value for all our stakeholders.
As a business, we firmly believe that our own long-term business growth is anchored on the shared value we create and how we help protect and sustain all parts of the SM ecosystem. We continue to evolve to meet new customer expectations across our businesses, nurturing the spirit of continuous improvement and innovation. We continue to support thousands of partners in our supply chain, especially the many small and medium enterprises we work with, to help them adapt their businesses to serve the ever-changing environment. We establish strong systems that embed the resilience of our whole ecosystem of businesses and stakeholders as we safeguard our long-term growth and ensure our contribution in promoting responsible development nationwide.
As an employer, we strive to make our businesses a great place to work in. We provide opportunities for career growth, meaningful work experiences and a safe and healthy working environment. We espouse dignity of labor, equal opportunity, gender equality and diversity. As one of the country’s largest employers, we help the growing population enter the workforce and develop the skill sets ready for an evolving future.
As a responsible company, we take part in creating a more equitable society and in protecting our only home, our planet. We are mindful of the impact our businesses have on the environment and constantly find solutions that have immediate and long-term benefits in mitigating climate issues. We promote inclusive supply chain practices that promote small and medium enterprise growth and development greener products and services. We provide opportunities that positively contribute to the long-term well-being of our communities through inclusive education, quality health care and training for food security.
