WITH Cebu having one of the most vibrant retail sectors in the country, the Philippine Retailers’ Association (PRA) expanded its membership to the province making Cebu its first provincial chapter.
“Membership is vital because it will move the wheels of retailing in your area,” Jorge Mendiola, PRA president, said during his keynote speech last Saturday when PRA had its first general membership meeting at the Parklane Hotel, Cebu City.
Mendiola, who is also senior vice president of operations for Shoemart Inc., told news reporters in an interview that PRA has always wanted to expand its coverage to other major cities in the country, especially in Cebu, which he described as “like a melting pot” for producing some of the country’s successful retailers.
Mendiola mentioned Steve Benitez of Bo’s Coffee, Bernie Liu of Golden ABC and Jonathan Aldeguer of the Aldeguer Group of Companies as among those who have made significant successes in the industry.
He also attributed the formation of the Cebu chapter to the efforts of Liu and Aldeguer as they were the ones who pushed for the creation of the Cebu group.
Aldeguer is the incumbent president of the PRA Cebu chapter while Liu is a member of the board.
Aldeguer said that the one-year-old Cebu unit has 32 members, who are mostly local businessmen with homegrown companies in Cebu. The group welcomes more members.
Existing and new members of the PRA Cebu chapter were also inducted during the weekend activity.
By May, PRA-Cebu will conduct the search for the “Outstanding Filipino Retailer” in Cebu Province and the winners will automatically be endorsed for the national category, which will be awarded on October. Cebu will also host PRA’s second regional conference in June, as part of the activities of the Cebu Business Month.
Membership to the PRA will allow one access to industry information as well as the opportunity to network among key players in the industry. The PRA will also offer information packed seminars as venues to discuss best practices in the industry.
During the retailer’s meeting, Mendiola also presented to the group the current challenges that the industry is facing.
He said rampant shoplifting accounts for two- to three-percent loss in sales nationwide. To address this, PRA has already prepared a proposal for an anti-shoplifting bill.
However, during the PRA’s last board meeting, it was suggested that the group will start its efforts of addressing the concern at the local government level first.
Mendiola said the PRA also have issues with the varying regulations imposed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on new registration and approval of point of service systems (POS).
The Philippine retail industry accounts for 15 percent of the country’s gross national product and covers 33 percent of the entire service sector.
The industry has generated 6.22 million jobs, which account for 19 percent of the country’s entire workforce.
Mendiola also referred to the retail industry as one of the growth engines of the economy. He said the industry will remain resilient despite the present political crisis in the country. (DME)
