Chester Enterprises Inc. to expand within Cebu

One of Cebu's pioneering retailers for textile items Chester Enterprises Inc. is cautious in putting up investments for expansion, due to declining demand for textile products.

While it is tempting to expand its chain of stores outside of Cebu, Chester Enterprises Inc. proprietress Gregoria C. Cokaliong said she would rather expand within Cebu.

After 40 years, Chester Enterprises had been able to build two outlets in Cebu, and one subsidiary the Gregoria's Curtains and Trims located at SM City Cebu mall. The company opened the second Chester Enterprises store at SM City in 2003.

Very soon, she said a bigger Chester Enterprises will (hopefully) be opened in Ayala Center Cebu.

"We are looking for bigger place for our expansion in Cebu. It should be inside a mall," she stressed.

She said the entry of cheap RTW (ready-to-wear) clothing especially from China has made textile as an alternative choice, by many.

However, she said what sustains her business, despite the changing preference of the market, is the huge wholesale clients, such as corporate customers that needed huge volume of textile product for uniforms, also wedding, and special occasions.

Although there is still a good number of walk-in clients in its Borromeo Street (downtown area) branch, and SM City Cebu, the sales volume is not the same as before, she said.

Despite the RTW trend nowadays there is still a sustaining market segment, who buys their choice of textile, especially those who wanted to wear tailored-fit clothing.

Chester Enterprises is one of the very few traders in Cebu, which established businesses in the downtown for decades now, which bravely entered into a mall, and trail blaze with the modern retail strategies.

Because of its reputable brand in the textile retailing, the company has a potential to offer franchise package. However, Cokaliong said she would rather be content in having a small chain of stores, than have bigger chain and fail to manage it properly thus tainting its name.

"Textile retailing is different. It's hard to offer this to franchise. It needs a hands-on management," she said in an interview.

The family of Gregoria's late husband Edgar, owned the Cebu Bazaar, one of the oldest textile retailers in Cebu. She, on the other hand, is the daughter of the famous merchandize store owner in Cebu in the 1950s - Sen Hiap Ping.

Together with their solid business background in similar field, the couple started to build the textile business in 1966, named after their first born child Chester.

Cokaliong's textile trade has remained the family's "bread and butter" business until now, although the family also has a shipping business on the side.