Ducks Unlimited: Offering the perfect combination

It is every Filipino shopper’s quest; it is that ultimate goal for value-minded, bargain-driven tightwads who want to squeeze the most from their hard-earned money without sacrificing good taste. It’s what many local product-oriented companies strive for yet only few achieve.

We’re talking about products with international quality standards at local (competitive) prices.

High-End Everyday Apparel

True enough, only a selected few are able to accomplish this feat and Ducks Unlimited is among them. Opening its first store 14 years ago, the Kuo family, owners of Ducks Unlimited, decided to ride along golf’s rising popularity in the Philippines. With its distinct branding and undeniably high quality products, this enterprising newcomer soon gained position as one of the country’s leading retailer of locally-manufactured golf apparel.

It did not take a long time, however, before the Kuo family realized a greater vision for the company. Taking from the company name, Ducks truly became unlimited as it moved out of its niche of selling primarily men’s golf wear to become a total fashion store. Nowadays, while golf apparel still holds a prominent portion of its store shelves, Ducks Unlimited’s product line includes women’s dresses, blouses, and skirts; teen shirts, pants, and other accessories. Soon they will also introduce new line of infant wear to complete its apparel line.

While the marketing reorientation was not easy, it proved to be a winning move. In only 14 years, Ducks Unlimited now has 10 retail shops and can be found in many leading shopping malls. Just recently, it opened its new SM-Lazaro branch in Manila.

Affordable Alternative

Despite the change in its marketing thrust, Ducks Unlimited has remained faithful to its vision of providing the market with an affordable alternative to the expensive high-end products offered by foreign brands.

According to Rosemarie Kuo Ang, the company is able to ensure that product lines are of the highest quality through stringiest standards set upon the manufacturer, Ducks Unlimited’s sister company CMT Manufacturing.

With its 14-year experience in integrated retail garment manufacturing, CMT is involved in every detail of the manufacturing process, from choosing the raw materials, to the weaving of the threads, to the finishing of the fabric. "Threads used are from Egypt, wherein we can find some of the best types of threads in the world," Rosemarie remarks. This regard for quality goes beyond raw materials and is incorporated every step of the way, until the product hits the shelves of a Ducks Unlimited store.

A Family That Works Together

For a store that successfully caters to the clothing needs of families, it is not surprising that behind Ducks Unlimited success is the concerted effort of a close-knit family as well. William Kuo, patriarch and business founder serves as president for both Ducks Unlimited and CMT Manufacturing. His wife Rosita and almost all of the seven Kuo children, including Rosemarie, are also involved in various aspects of the operation.

Rosemarie says the family holds no formal board meeting to discuss the business. She quips that business is mostly tackled during their weekly family get-togethers. Instead of business lunches, they have family dinners; and instead of conference tables, they use the family dining table instead.

During these informal meetings, each of the Kuo children takes turn reporting the performance of each and every Ducks Unlimited shop. So hands-on are the members of the Kuo family, that the entire family even tours all the shops on certain Sundays to get the feel of the market.

Ducks Unlimited truly has gone a long way from its beginning as a golf wear store. With the proper mix of hard work and commitment to providing customers their money’s worth, Ducks Unlimited has started to fly high. And seeing that they will soon be opening more branches, it seems that more and more people are starting to take notice as well. – Agge Grande