Aug. 14--PHILIPPINE retailers on Thursday declared that the "worst is over" for them since they expect moderate growth this year and a possible recovery next year, citing strong overseas Filipino workers' (OFWs) remittances and growth in the business process outsourcing (BPO) and tourism sectors.

At the sidelines of the 18th National Retail Conference, Jorge Mendiola, chairman of Philippine Retailers Association, said that the retail industry is expected to grow at a high single digit growth this year.

In 2008, the whole industry grew between 2 percent and 3 percent, Mendiola added.

The retail sector contributes an average of 12 percent to 15 percent to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is one of the country's biggest employers. GDP is the total value of goods and services produced in a country in a year.

Frederick Go, the retailer conference overall chairman and president of Robinson Land Corp., said that the "worst is over" for the industry. "The industry was hard hit 18 months ago, but things are looking up. The industry would be doing quite well in the next 12 months."

Mendiola and Go said that the growth would be driven by the strong remittances from Filipino migrant workers as well as growth in the business outsourcing and tourism sectors.

"These industries [outsourcing and tourism] have a lot room for growth and both are stable industries that have been contributing to the growth in the economy for the last few years, and we expect these factors to continue being the driver of the economy in the near future," they added.

According to Mendiola, remittances from overseas Filipinos continued to flow, helping support consumer spending.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported that remittances from overseas Filipinos for January to May reached $6.98 billion.

Opportunities from tourism

The passage of the Tourism Act of 2009, Mendiola said, also created fresh opportunities for retailers. "Tourism and retailing are closely allied and the Tourism Act will be a boon to both industries."

The Department of Tourism earlier reported that tourist arrivals reached close to four million during the first semester of 2009 despite the global financial crisis and the swine flu scare.

Mendiola noted that consumers have also adjusted to the crisis.

"Consumers have begun to buy wisely, cautiously, most keen on value-for-money purchases," he said.

Rowena Tomeldan, Ayala Malls Group's vice president and deputy group head, said that most of the major retailers still experience moderate growth in traffic and sales despite the weak economic growth.