Cebu retailers brace for Asean integration

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu retail players are now working on strengthening hold in the Philippine market in preparation for the borderless Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) market in 2015.

This is one of the important discussions that will be tackled on tomorrow's 7th  Philippine Retail Association (PRA)  Regional Conference to be held at Oakridge Business Park on A.S. Fortuna St. in Banilad, Mandaue City.

This year's conference chairman Edmund Liu said that retailers have no choice but to strengthen their grip in the local market and protect their turf in order not to be swallowed by the international brands that are starting to enter the Philippines while preparing for the 2015 Asean integration as well.

Carrying the theme "Back to Basics: Timeless Principles in Retailing," Liu said in this time and complex age, retailers tend to forget the basic principles in retailing, which shouldn't be taken for granted in the first place.

"Taking all the technical jargons, we would like to bring back the basic principles which are important regardless of generation," Liu said.

Liu, together with other PRA officials, including Melanie Ng, PRA chairman; Jun Yap, PRA president; and Robert Go, PRA board member, said that the aim is to focus on techniques on starting and running successful companies featuring pillars in the industry as key speakers during the event.

Speakers include Max's Group of Companies and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts director Jim Fuentebella; Edgar Sia, founder of Mang Inasal; Paulo Campos III of Zalora Philippines; Atty. Paul Santos, PRA national vice president and president of Picture City; senior consultant and chief brand advisor of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc. Benedicto Cid, Jr.; and Armando Bartolome, GMB Franchise Developers president.

The speakers will talk about their success, challenges, as well as failures in their businesses, according to Liu.

Local retailers will also be sharing their experiences to the participants which include Ng, Yap, Jay Aldeguer of Islands Group and Raki Urbina of Laguna Group of Restaurants.

Topics include timeless principles in marketing and successful retail brand, operating successful retail company, the basics in retailing from startup business to large enterprise and applying the basics in retailing from generation to generation.

Go, who is also the past president of PRA-Cebu and owns the Prince Warehouse chain of department stores, said that the retail sector has never been so exciting until this time, wherein the industry saw encouraging performance in the recent years, brought about by increasing purchasing power of Filipinos and economic dynamism of the country as a whole.

While the sector is enjoying quite brisker business, he said the upcoming Asean integration come 2015 poses a threat for the local retail players, specifically that Asia Pacific is now considered as the fast growing region for retail in the world.

About 40 percent of the world's retail market is now in the Asia Pacific.

"We have to protect our turf and develop further our hold in the local market," said Go. /JMD (FREEMAN)