Monday, October 01, 2007 From scratch to success: The Golden ABC story
FROM simple graphic design tees to a multi-brand empire that is the toast of the Filipino fashion retail industry, Golden ABC is barely unrecognizable from the company it was when it began in 1986.
Then an architecture student in Cebu, Bernie Liu started out with a simple wish to earn extra cash for his own pocket money. He thought building beautiful structures was the way to do it; today, as chief executive officer of Golden ABC, he has succeeded in building a fashion house that has become one of the country’s most formidable retail empires.
Liu’s enterprising spirit is one of the core values that drive the company. “Entrepreneurship is a mindset; it is a value that pushes one’s passion into something more than just a fire in your heart,” he shares. Liu’s inspiring words speak volumes of his entrepreneurial journey – a journey that has reaped recognition from the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship’s Go Negosyo, which recently heralded Liu as one of Cebu’s Ten Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs.
With over 20 years of retail success, Liu has seen Golden ABC, through its fair share of challenges to achieve breakthrough results. Penshoppe, Golden ABC’s flagship brand, was established amidst the political and economical turmoil of the 1986 EDSA Revolution.
The brand remained unfazed, expanding its operations and creating benchmarks in the industry by leveraging the latest innovations in retail technology.
With the steady growth of the flagship brand, Golden ABC was ready to make waves with a second brand. Oxygen was created in 1996, and 10 years later, it was awarded by the Philippine Retailers’ Association as Outstanding Filipino Retailer of the Year.
In 2002, Memo was created to respond to market demand for casual office wear. In just two years, it was cited as Most Promising Retailer of the Year by the Philippine Retailers’ Association. And just a few years back, Golden ABC successfully launched a fourth brand, ForMe, targeted specifically to women.
