30 Best Business Leaders of the Year 2019 30 Best Business Leaders of the Year 2019 | Page 12

Robina Y. Gokongwei-Pe, Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc.
Director and CEO: ‘We at Robinsons Retail Continuously
Strive to Tackle New Horizons in the Philippine Retail
Industry’
“We have found ways to better understand our shoppers and delighting them
with products and services that are responsive to their needs and preferences.”
T
echnology has already
transformed the retail
industry beyond recognition–
now, almost every customer is
an online customer, from your
teenage son to your ageing mother.
The end-to-end customer journey
now begins with online research
and product comparison, and
complaining about a product
or service is as easy and public
as sending a tweet or Facebook
comment, prompting immediate
action before reputational damage
occurs. Where once businesses
competed on price and availability,
they now compete for search engine
rankings and five-star customer
reviews.
This shift from in-store only
to omnichannel spending has
forced companies to make huge
adjustments to the way they do
business – and those who have
failed to adapt have been left behind.
In light of the foregoing, we’re
thrilled to present Robinsons
Retail Holdings, Inc.
Robinsons Retail is one of the
largest multi-format retailers
in the Philippines. It operates
a diverse brand portfolio with
the following major formats:
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september 2019
supermarket, department store,
do-it-yourself, drugstore,
convenience store, consumer
electronics and appliances,
toys, one-price concept store,
international fashion and beauty
specialty stores, and specialty
coffee shops.
The company was incorporated
in 1980 and is headquartered in
Quezon City, Philippines.
Robinsons Retail
Holdings, Inc: Synopsis
Rewind
From the company’s beginnings
with the first opening of Robinsons
Department Store in 1980 at
Robinsons Place Manila, it has
gained presence and has established
consumer trust in major cities and
communities across the archipelago.
In 2017,Robinsons reached a
store network of over 1,700
stores alongside more than 2,000
franchised branches of The Generics
Pharmacy, which it acquired in
2016.
To fulfil its part in nation-
building, Robinsons strives to
foster meaningful relationships
with various business partners
and create career opportunities
for its diverse workforce. As the
company expands, it ushers in
the growth of modern retail in
previously untapped markets.
Robinsons engages both global
and local suppliers to deliver safe
and high-quality merchandise to
its customers while implementing
a holistic business development
strategy geared towards corporate
sustainability amidst a dynamic
economic landscape.
Robinsons establishes strong ties
with leading mall developers in
the country and serves as anchor
tenants for Robinsons Malls which
operates 47 malls in the country
as of end 2017. With its 40 percent
stake in Robinsons Bank, one of the
fastest-growing commercial banks
in the Philippines today, Robinsonsis
exploring ways to enrich synergies
between the bank and retail.
The company constantly aims to
incorporate new and innovative
technologies into its operations. In
December 2017, Robinsons acquired
a minority stake in BeautyMNL. The
company has likewise strengthened
its presence in the e-commerce
space with its partners, Lazada,
Zalora and honestbee. The company
also embraced cashless and mobile