24 firms bag PRA awards

MANILA, Philippines - Twenty four retail concepts and establishments bagged the prestigious citations given by the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) and the Department of Trade & Industry in their respective categories at the recently concluded 17th Outstanding Filipino Retailers and Shopping Centers of the Year ((OFR-SCY) Awards at the Grand Ballroom of Crowne Plaza Hotel.

The 17th Outstanding Filipino Retailers and Shopping Centers of the Year ((OFR-SCY) awardees  include: Most Promising Retailer – Vikings (food) and Bambu (non-food); Regional Retailer Category – Apag Marangle Co.; Specialty Retailer – Runnr (small category) and Picture City (medium category); Home Improvement Center – Handyman; Fashion Category (shoes, bags, apparel) fashion apparel – Mint (small), Folded and Hung (medium), Bench (large); Fashion (shoes and bag) – DC Shoes (medium), Celine (large).

Other winners are; Food Retailer – Jollibee (large); Services – Bench Fix Salon (medium); Category Killer – R.O.X.; Supermarket – Rustans supermarket; full Line Dept. Store – The SM  Store; Foreign Brand Retailer – Dorothy Perkins (fashion apparel – medium), Fashion 21 (large); Charles and Keith (fashion, shoes and bags - medium), Ace hardware (category killer), Starbucks (food retailer- large).

For the Shopping Centers of the Year, Shangri-la Plaza Mall (large), Robinsons Magnolia (medium) and SM Center Muntinlupa (small) got the most prestigious and coveted awards.

Serving as the highlight of this year’s annual rites was the awarding of the PRA President’s Award to SM Group’s Teresita Sy- Coson. She was recognized as the “Philippine Retailing’s Woman Visionary Leader.”

PRA President Lorenzo “Enchong” C. Formoso said it was another banner year for the OFR-SCY Awards as a record number of brands and establishments entered their nominations.

“Our distinguished judges had a hard time in choosing the awards because the finalists have their respective strengths. I’m sure with the outcome of the 17th OFR-SCY Awards, retail-industry players have been exposed to a wealth of best practices that they can benchmark their own operations in preparation for stiffer competition when the region integrates into the Asean Economic Community next year,” Formoso, who is also COO of Duty Free Philippines emphasized.

The 17th Outstanding Filipino Retailers and Shopping Centers of the Year ((OFR-SCY) Awards  dubbed the “Oscars of the Philippine retail industry,” is a joint project of the Department of Trade and Industry and the PRA, the organization of the country’s top notch retailers and prime movers in the local retail industry.

Sy-Coson is the 9th recipient of PRA’s most prestigious award for her insightful vision and commendable leadership at the helm of SM that made it the country’s largest and most consistently successful retail conglomerate in the Philippines.

She now joins the league of illustrious awardees that include her father Henry Sy (SM), Fernando Zobel de Ayala (Ayala Land), John Gokongwei Jr. (Robinsons Malls), George L. Araneta (Araneta Group of Companies), Socorro C. Ramos (National Book Store), Amb. Bienvenido Tantoco, Sr. (Rustan’s), Mariano Que (Mercury Drugstore), and Samie Lim (BLIMS Fine Furniture- Philippine Franchise Association). 

The 17th OFR/SCY Awards was sponsored by Ayala Malls, The SM Store, Duty Free Phils., Bench, Globe Business, Celine, Watsons, Rustans Supermarket, Robinsons Malls, Wilcon Builders, Shangri-la Plaza, Philippine STAR, Business World, Business Mirror, WAV Scents and Philippine Daily Inquirer.