Cebu Daily News / Enterprise

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/enterprise/view_article.php?article_id=166743

Cebu retailers urged to unite Cebu Daily News Posted date: October 16, 2008 CEBU retailers should move in unison to survive the current financial crisis. For members of the Philippine Retailers Association Cebu Chapter (PRA Cebu), the current economic situation encourages them to strengthen their presence and reach out to as many Cebu retailers as possible. “This is something that we want our members to focus on. We should aim high to level up to the quality of brands offered globally,” said PRA Cebu incoming president Melanie Ng. “If big retailers from Manila can do it, so can we. We formed this group to make sure that we also benefit from the Manila organization and we want other retailers in Cebu to benefit as well,” she added. While retail sales are expected to decline as the US financial crisis continue to affect more sectors, Ng said Cebu retailers are not up for a cold Christmas yet. Many are still optimistic that people will continue to buy during the holiday season, said Ng, who owns Premium Concepts. “The buying power of Filipinos will still be there. Maybe it will not be that aggressive but Filipinos will still buy because it is part of our custom to buy something for Christmas,” she said. In the cellphone retail , the sale of low-end units is picking up, said Jun Yap, PRA board member and president of Junrex Cellphones and Accessories Inc. “If before we need to sell 1,000 cellphones to earn one million pesos, today, we need to sell 3,000 cellphones to get one million. We sell thrice as much to maintain growth,” said Yap. These challenges bring out the best in entrepreneurs who are forced to be more creative and innovative, said Christopher Tio, president of Toys@Work. PRA Cebu, which was revived two years ago, aims to assist Cebu retailers make their businesses globally-competitive. It currently has 40 members in Cebu./Reporter Cris Evert B. Lato