RP back in the news

There are prominent signs that Vancouverites are now being perceived and courted by marketers as people with an urban lifestyle. And despite the laid-back, lack of stress existence, the residents have some money to spare. The marketers have also taken into account the new, professional, middle class immigrants, the rich tourists from Asia and the generally good retail climate. Here are some solid examples:

• High-end New York jeweler Tiffany & Co. will open its first western Canadian store in Vancouver. The downtown store (Burrand and Alberni) is quite huge (4,700 sq.ft.).

• Increased advertising and promotion of luxury brands, meaning Vuitton, Gucci, Hermes, Coach, Prada to name a few recognizable names.

• More new upscale restaurants and catering schools. There’s an increased interest in the cooking, food and beverage industry. One of the leading schools is the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. Meanwhile, Arts Institute of America bought Dubrulle, British Columbia’s top culinary school. Many Filipinos graduated from Dubrulle and are now establishing their names in the food industry.

• Active branding and promotions of several newly constructed buildings and homes with fancy continental names. British Columbians are expected to spend $34 billion on new buildings, businesses and public works this year.

•The sagging French wine industry has targeted British Columbia to introduce 40 new labels. British Columbians are known to be wine consumers while the province is globally known for their award-winning wines. The supposedly French campaign will not likely affect sales of B.C. wines because it is a solid market but the market is open to prestigious labels from Europe.

These developments are expected to produce some 95,000 tourism-related jobs. Four out of every 10 of those jobs will be created outside the mainland/southwest region of the province. The B.C. tourism industry is currently employing 117,900 people. The projection is $9.8 billion in visitor revenues in 2005.

Rolando Sanares of Bacolod is making a name for himself in Vancouver. As good chef of the Marriott Vancouver Airport Hotel, he not only manages the kitchen of the busy hotel but also handles big events and trains his junior staff. He is also asked by many Canadians to cater private functions during his off hours.

Sanares, who has been in the F&B business for 25 years is known for his Continental/Asian fusion food. Looking back, he was a member of the first Philippine team to compete in a culinary competition in Singapore and then other Asian cities. He was executive chef of the Beijing China Golf and Country Club for several years before moving to British Columbia.

Sanares was recently featured in the television program Mango Vibe on Channel M where he showcased some of his innovative recipes and they are:

• Steamed Salmon and Tilapia with sweet & sour mango sauce

• Stuffed mango roasted chicken with adobo sauce.

• Mango mouse with white chocolate.

• Trio of mango — sherbet, mousse and apple/mango strudel.

It is shocking but true that well groomed women who are fashionably dressed got significant friendlier service at clothing stores than their under-dressed or poorly dressed counterparts. That’s according to a new study published by the Clothing and Textiles Research Journal.

Sales clerks supposedly ranked and profiled different parts of a female shopper’s appearance by the following standards:

1) Fabric quality,

2) Accessory quality,

3) Attractiveness,

4) Formality,

5) Grooming,

6) Purse quality,

7) Fashionability,

8) Hair grooming,

9) Make up,

10) Femininity.

The Philippines is prominently back in the international media scene. Herald Tribune’s article headline was "Political Turmoil Again Thwarts Progress in Philippines. All this has diverted the country from poverty, social inequities, population pressures and violent insurgencies that continue to drag it down. An intractable system of oligarchic control, left untouched in the 1986 transition, has made fundamental change extremely hard." Washington Post reported "Democracy falters in the Philippines — Family dynasties ruthlessly vie for power while the country slides deeper into poverty."