RUSTAN?S Supermarket has opened its 23rd branch, this time on the lower ground level of Il Terrazzo building, Tomas Morato and Scout Madriñan Streets in Quezon City.

Residents and workers can expect a healthy mix of local and international brands as Rustan?s Supermarket puts basic and gourmet products under one roof.

?We?re not trying to be expensive here. We just want to bring to our customers the best quality we can find and sell it at its most affordable price,? said Donnie Tantoco, president of Rustan?s Supercenters Inc.

Tantoco said anyone could buy a decent bottle of Bordeaux, for instance, which starts at P250 per bottle. Chilled Australian meat, he said, is one of the lowest priced in the market today. Rustan?s, in fact, is the only supermarket in the country that supplies chilled, not frozen, Australian meat.

?We sell many fresh produce. We pay a lot of attention to how the products we sell are produced and transported; our refrigeration here in the store is regularly checked on the clock. The working moms who come to shop here know what we have is safe for their children,? Tantoco said.

For its First Week Offer, until Nov. 28, Rustan?s Supermarket gives all shoppers a P100 cash voucher for every P1,000 purchase; First Payday Sale, Nov. 29-30, has discounts of up to 20 percent on select Fresh items. In the spirit of the holiday season, limited-edition Amorsolo bags will be given away for every P1,000 purchase from Dec. 8-12.

First Christmas Fanfare, Dec. 23-24, will be giving away a Rustan?s Pear-Shaped Ham for a purchase of P1,000 worth of any item. For New Year?s Day, the First New Year Blowout, from Dec. 30-31, a purchase of wines and liquor worth P1,000 entitles one to a free bottle of sparkling wine.

Rustan?s Supermarket also initiated First Stop, where GMA and ABS-CBN employees can use daily shuttle services to and from the supermarket every hour, from 9 a.m.-
8 p.m.

?Rustan?s is known for its excellent customer service. Here on Tomas Morato, we bring the store closer to them,? Tantoco said. ?Doing your groceries is necessary shopping, not recreational. We make shopping easier for our clients as much as possible.?

Among the pioneers in providing Filipinos imported goods, Rustan?s Supermarket innovated many ?firsts? in the country, including the first buy-one, take-one promo, and the first to coin the term ?supermarketing.? The newest branch only indicates that the supermarket still continues to grow 38 years after its first inception.

?I don?t think Rustan?s is big enough. We should have more?about 100 branches nationwide,? said the good-humored chair emeritus of Rustan?s Supercenters Inc., Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco Sr.

Rustan?s Supermarkets are also located in Glorietta, Makati; Rockwell Power Plant Mall, Makati; The Gateway Mall, Araneta Center, QC; The Shangri-La Mall, Edsa, Pasig; San Antonio Plaza Arcade, Forbes Park, Makati; Greenbelt, Makati; Paseo de Magallanes on South Superhighway; Corinthian Hills; Ayala Center, Cebu City; and Arcenas Estates, Banawa, Cebu.