Iora makes its way to the Cebu market

Although already a well-established brand in Asia, Iora, a Singaporean women’s clothing line is new in Cebu as it just recently opened its first outlet at the SM City Cebu Northwing and its local franchisees are optimistic with its potential in the market.

In an interview with Christopher Tio, president of Retailgate Distribution, Inc., the franchisee for Iora in Cebu, he shared their company’s confidence with the Asian brand as it aims to provide Cebuano shoppers with the “perceived value” they require.

“We are bullish about the brand, we believe in its potential as it reflects the confidence of modern women. Iora is good for Cebu as it can be something Cebuano women will appreciate and love,” said Tio.

Iora started out as middlemen specializing in women’s apparel at a small retail shop in Chinatown which was established in 1998.

With its success, Iora opened other concept stores and launched its franchising model that enabled the owners to market its products to other regions in Asia.

Iora now has a total of 22 outlets in Asia, eight of its retail outlets are in Singapore, three in Malaysia, four in Brunei and seven in the Philippines.

Iora came to the country in 2004 and right now it has franchised branches in Manila at Trinoma, SM Mall of Asia, Robinson’s Galleria, Shangri-la Plaza, Glorietta, and the Outlet Store.

Iora’s product lines include women’s tops, pants, skirts, shorts, shirts and apparels such as bags with prices that range from P800 to P2, 800.

Tio said that in terms of fit, Iora will be perfect for Cebuano women as it was designed to specifically fit Asian women.

“Since Iora is from Singapore, its fit is perfect for Asian women and the fabrics and styles are also Asian which is perfect for tropical countries like the Philippines. It also has a different fit from American and European brands because it fits better,” said Tio.

As the director of the Philippine Retailers Association- Cebu Chapter, Tio shared his confidence with Cebu’s retail industry despite the so-called “market slowdown” due to soaring inflation rates.

 “Retail is about confidence and I believe that the market has become versatile and is now able to adapt to everything. There is a general slowdown in the retail industry but it doesn’t mean that people are not buying but there is a shift to products with perceived value,” he explained.

“With so many malls opening in Cebu the sector is very much positive and everybody believes that we will weather this crisis because the fundamentals is still very strong for Cebu,” Tio further discussed.

He said that with the influx of foreign tourists, Cebu is starting to become an international city which is a good development especially for the retail sector.

Tio added that historically Cebu has a “survivor economy” as it is very resilient to economic downtrend and market volatility. – Rhia de Pablo