Numerous retail opportunities seen in provinces

There are vast retail opportunities in the provinces that Manila-based firms and entrepreneurs can explore for business growth or expansion.

Even malls can operate profitably in provincial locations and enable local retailers to pursue their trade even more lucratively in a mall environment.

The bases of these two business prospects and how to make them yield gainful results are what two veteran retail consultants will share with the retail industry at the 10th National Retailers Conference and Stores Asia 2001 Expo.

Slated at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel on Aug. 15-17, the conference will feature Morgan & Associates president Ellen Miranda and Consultus managing consultant Gerlie Taylor.

Morgan & Associates is a consultancy firm that creates mall designs and store concepts, while Consultus plans out the best system for mall leasing and operations and whose clients include SM Supermalls, Uniwide Metromall, and Waltermart, among others.

Taylor will discuss potential growth areas for retailing in the provinces, geographical characteristics of provincial locations, economic indicators and logistic requirements in opening provincial stores.

For her part, Miranda will define the terms that spell retailers’ profitability in a mall setting.

They will be joined by McCann Erickson president and chief executive officer Emily Abrera, who will provide the strategies on how to make stores attain their target market’s top-of-mind recall and adapt branding programs to consumer behavior.

Abrera is a 1995 Agora Awardee for Marketing Management, and recently a recipient of 4A’s Philippines Creative Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Other details can be obtained from the PRA (tel. 6874180; 6874985; pager 127767030; and e-mail [email protected]).

With the theme "Power of Retailing," the conference is supported by GMA-7, Manila Bulletin, Ever Gotesco Malls, Robinson’s Malls, PLDT, SM Shoemart, Oracle Philippines, Hewlett Packard, IBM Philippines, MacGraphics Carranz, Wave 89.1, KCFM 93.9, Montanara, Dupont Far East Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, Ayala Land, and Edsamail.

The conference is also supported by Bench, Sportshouse, Goodwill Bookstore, Ads on Bags, All Visual Lights, LG Collins, Chase Pacific, and Adman Resources.

Other topics to be discussed by various speakers are Store Planning, Design and Concepts; Retailing: A Global Perspective; Professionalizing the Family Business, Efficient Consumer Response, Hiring and Retaining the Right Talent/People, Profile of the Filipino Shopper in the New Millennium, Leveraging Online Marketplaces for Retail Competitiveness, and New Media: Driving Traffic to your Website and Driving Traffic to your Store, among others.