RETAIL
SPOTLIGHT
PHILIPPINE RETAILING
SPREADING THE
SWEET SCENT OF
with Acquasuisse’s
SUCCESS founder John Chung
It is not hard to miss an Acquasuisse perfume
bar in malls as it features an interesting
concept of semi-automated bottle dispensers
filled with trendy and imported fragrances,
offered in affordable prices and variety of
quantities, based on customers’ needs.
The first ever brand to offer such concept,
Acquasuisse was founded by John Chung, who
wanted to bring his knowledge and love for
fragrances to the world. Their family was
already in the fragrance business way back, but
when he came onboard the company, he
thought of becoming a retailer instead of a
distributor, and to even expand and give
others the chance to put up their own business
as well by opening franchising opportunities
for the brand.
Their perfumes, which are at par with designer
perfume brands, are made from fragrance oils
from Switzerland, with concentration of eau de
parfum that offer distinct scents that last
longer.
John Chung shares some of his insights in
managing
Acquasuisse,
including
the
challenges he faced to make the business
flourish.
Philippine Retailing: Can you share with us
how you started with your business? Why
did
you
decide
to
venture
into
fragrances/perfumes?
I started working for our company in 1996. My
parents’ business is supplying raw materials for
the personal care and household industry.
Since, we were already supplying fragrance
oils as raw material and we were also contract
manufacturing for other brands, I decided to
come up with my own brand of perfume kiosk
last 2007, which is the refilling perfume bar
concept Acquasuisse.
PR: you opened for franchising and even
opened opportunities for investors abroad,
how did this affect the growth of the
company?
We went into franchising in 2008 and it really
helped us expand fast. Right now, we have
around 65 branches nationwide.
PR: What makes Aquasuisse unique in the
perfume business niche?
We try to make our quality better than our
competitors by using high quality fragrance
oils with high concentration, targeting mid B
and upper C market. We also have a unique
concept of refilling the perfume. We were the
first to introduce the perfume bar concept in
the Philippines.
12
PR: As a family business, what are the pros
and cons of working with the family? What
role do you play in the business?
I have a younger sister who helps me with
finance and operations of the store and my
younger brother is in-charge of sourcing
packaging materials. I handle the brand and
business development side. We all work
together to grow the business. The pro of
working with family members is the flexibility in
decision making.
PR: What are the biggest challenges you
have faced in managing the company and
how did you overcome this?
Back when I started working for our company
in 1996, our company experienced a very bad
financial crisis. We lost everything — the
house, cars, buildings etc. But with the help of
family members and friends, we were able to
survive the problem.
PR: What lessons did you gain through time
in handling the business?
I learned that in business, we would definitely
experience failures but when that happens,
giving up is never an option.
PR: What would you say is the
biggest/most important investment you
have put into the company?
I would say it is on product development and
our people.
PR: What will you say are major milestones
of the company in more than a decade of
operation?
We tried opening our first international branch
in California last year.
PR: How are you adopting to digital
transformation and/or changing consumers
needs and trends? How do you keep the
company relevant in the market?
We try to innovate and build our own mobile
app to cater to more customers in the digital
world.
PR: Why did you decide to join PRA, and so
far, what benefits does the company get by
becoming a member?
Joining PRA is important for us to keep us
updated and connected with the industry. We
are happy that PRA helps us in promoting our
business in many ways.
*Share your success story with us! if you have an inspiring
story on how you started your business, or an employee who
has served as inspiration within the company or the retailing
community, we’d love to publish them on the Philippine
Retailing
magazine.
Email
your
pitch
at
[email protected] and let’s share beautiful,
inspiring stories to the retailing community.