Penshoppe boss Bernie Liu ready for AEC

MANILA, Philippines - 2015 marks the year that Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam will come together to form an integrated Southeast Asian region, with the unified goal of becoming economically competitive, peaceful and secure through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community (AEC).

While this may seem like a big challenge for most business owners in the Philippines, PLDT SME Grand Bossing Bernie Liu sees the ASEAN Integration as rife with opportunities.

“We shouldn’t fear the integration but instead welcome the challenge and level up our game.  “With the ASEAN, no matter how diverse we are, we have to be united and become stronger as one region,” said Liu.

Having been the CEO of Golden ABC (GABC) for over two decades, Liu has guided the growth of GABC, establishing its flagship brand, Penshoppe, to be recognized internationally. The company also has five other brands: Oxygen, ForMe, Memo, Regatta, and Tyler, plus the wholly-owned direct-selling subsidiary Red Logo, all of which specialize in creating, marketing, and selling their own clothing, personal care and accessory lines.

As daunting as it may seem, this type of success can also be achieved by other Filipino enterprises, especially with the upcoming AEC. This is the thrust behind the annual MVP Bossing Awards led by PLDT SME Nation in its objective of promoting SMEs and the spirit of entrepreneurship. In partnership with SMART Enterprise, Sun Business and Go Negosyo, the MVP Bossing Awards recognizes successful business models like Liu’s Penshoppe that broke the barriers of the Philippine SME industry in its progress to being an international brand.

“We have to realize that we are now competing with regional players and have to think global and act local in terms of retaining our value proposition,” said Liu.

In going global, Liu maximized partnerships to establish Penshoppe as one of the leading brands in fashion retail.

“Penshoppe opened its doors in Indonesia in 2012 by partnering with a local franchisee, which successfully opened 20 stores around their country and aims to add more in the coming years,” said Liu. “More recently, Golden ABC partnered with another franchisee in Cambodia and opened very productive boutiques in the country’s newest shopping malls. Our company is also pursuing two to three more ASEAN territories in 2015.”

Liu has put GABC ahead of other Philippine SMEs in addressing the opportunities and challenges of the ASEAN integration. With 600 stores in the region and expansions all over the Middle East, GABC is now a formidable retail force in both the local and international market.