SPECIAL COLUMN
During the convention, the PRA was voted to be
part of the five-member Advisory Council of the
Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Associations
(FAPRA) along with China, Japan, Korea, and
Singapore Retail Associations. This is such an honor
and we are grateful to be voted for such an
important role, considering that FAPRA
membership is composed of some of the most
dynamic economies, not only in Asia, but in the
world.
The FAPRA Advisory Council serves as the regional
organization’s lead body for the discussion and
decision on FAPRA related matters. With this
responsibility, we at the PRA are excited to work
with fellow retail associations in further advancing
the goals and advocacies of the federation to help
further create a seamless connection between
economies and retail businesses in the region.
FAPRA which serves as the biggest network among
retail associations across the Asia-Pacific region was
founded in 1989. It is composed of 20
member-economies in Asia Pacific including
Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia,
Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Hong Kong, China,
Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand,
Mongolia, Turkey, Fiji, India, Kyrgyzstan, Chinese
Taipei, and newly approved Sri Lanka.
For the last three decades, it has continuously
implemented activities that discuss issues shared in
the region and promote information exchange to
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by Rosemarie Ong
President, Philippine
Retailers Association &
SEVP-COO, Wilcon Depot
As I mentioned earlier, I had the opportunity to
share the development of the Philippine retail
industry, which is promising with the growth of the
retail trade Gross Value Added at 5.9% in 2018.
The country was also ranked number 18 on the top
30 developing countries for retail investment
worldwide list by AT Kearney.
contribute to the development of commerce, the
improvement of retailers’ status and the
improvement of citizens’ lives in the region.
China, India, and Indonesia are also three of the
world’s largest market opportunities in terms of
population. China and India land on number 1 and
2 spots respectively, both with over one billion
population, while Indonesia is at number 4, with
over 200 million population, and just behind the
United States. As part of the FAPRA, we are
fortunate to be able to link up with our
counterparts in various parts of the region. This
connection also made it easier for PRA members to
network with other Asia Pacific businesses in the
industry.
The APRCE is the flagship project of the FAPRA,
and is the largest and most influential retail event
in the Asia Pacific region since it was first
organized in 1983 in Tokyo, Japan. It is held every
two years and is one of the world's three major
retail events as well.
By conducting a convention and exhibit
side-by-side, FAPRA aims to discover new
approaches to the latest issues facing the region's
retailers and highlight innovative solutions that can
help retailers differentiate themselves from
competitors, to deliver greater value to their
consumers.
It was also great to hear the retail developments in
neighboring countries such as with Singapore
wherein the e-commerce market is seen to grow
twice as fast compared to more mature markets
like Europe and US. The e-commerce revenue in
the country is growing at a rate of 14.7%, and the
market volume projected to reach USD 8.64 billion
by 2023.
In Chinese Taipei, the convenience stores continue
to increase, with a total of 10, 000 stores
throughout the country, with the highest density in
the world. This aggressive increase in the
convenience store count is supported by various
innovative services such as courier and home
delivery pickups for customers.
Malaysia on the other hand highlighted entry of
foreign brands, mostly under the food & beverage
niche with majority of brands coming from United
States, South Korea and Japan in 2018, while the
2019 entrants were dominated by Taiwanese milk
tea brands such as XingFuTang, OneZo, and
ChungYangTea, among others.
With the PRA’s attendance to the APRCE 2019 and
other meetings and activities conducted by FAPRA,
we are able to see a broader picture of the retail
industry in the region as well as scenarios and
trends peculiar in a certain country.
I also want to share that Wilcon Depot has won
the International Award for Excellence in Customer
Service from the FAPRA. The award is to recognize
companies with outstanding achievements in the
retail industry. At Wilcon, we offer a range of
services that enhances the experience of the
customers while at store by utilizing technology and
empowering our frontliners.
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