SM’s Sy-Coson to receive PRA President’s Award

MANILA, Philippines - The SM group’s Teresita Sy- Coson will take the center stage in this year’s Outstanding Filipino Retailers & Shopping Centers of the Year (OFR/SCY) Awards Night when she receives the PRA President’s Award from the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) on March 19.

Sy- Coson will be recognized as “Philippine Retailing’s Woman Visionary Leader.”

 â€œShe is recognized for her insightful vision and commendable leadership at the helm of SM that made it the country’s largest and most consistently successful retail conglomerate in the Philippines,” PRA president Lorenzo C. Formoso said.

This is the ninth year that the PRA, the largest organization of the country’s top retailers and prime movers in the retail industry, is handing out the President’s Award to salute the retail industry’s leaders and visionaries who paved the way for this generation’s retailers.

Sy-Coson will join the elite list of past PRA President’s Award recipients which  includes her father Henry Sy (Father of Philippine Retailing), Fernando Zobel de Ayala (Pillar of Philippine Retail Development), Jorge Araneta (Pioneer of Philippine Retail Entertainment), Socorro Ramos (Matriarch of Philippine Retailing), John Gokongwei, Jr. (Champion of Retail Entrepreneurship), Amb. Bienvenido Tantoco Sr. (Father of Luxury Retailing), Mariano Que (Father of Health and Wellness Retailing), and Samie Lim (Pioneering Pillar of Franchising).

The 9th PRA President’s Award seeks to recognize and honor the visionaries of retailing who have made an indelible mark and contribution to the growth of the Philippine retail industry.

Also to be handed out in the 17th edition of the Outstanding Filipino Retailers & Shopping Centers of the Year Awards Night are the Full-Line Department Store/ Hypermart, Fashion, Food Retailer, Services, Home Improvement Centers, Most Promising Retailer, Regional Retailer, Specialty Retailer, Shopping Center of the Year, and Regional Shopping Center of the Year, among others.

“For the awardees, receiving the award gives their company prestige which helps further enhance public perception of their brand and establishment,” Formoso explained, noting that retailers have become aware of the stringent criteria for evaluating and judging the nominees and they know that when a company is awarded, it is truly world class.  

“This project is PRA’s way of encouraging retailers to continue innovating and improving their businesses since we believe we can further strengthen our presence and status in the international arena”, he added.

The “17th Outstanding Filipino Retailers & Shopping Centers of the Year Awards Night” is a joint project of the PRA and the Department of Trade and Industry to honor the “best of the best” in the Philippine retail industry and honor retailers and shopping centers that epitomize the model of success and good ethical practices.