"Garu" exporters' showroom opens at Imperial WaterPark

CEBU, Philippines - Realizing Cebu’s dream to establish an exporters’ showroom to showcase “Cebu’s best”, young entrepreneur Kate Dychangco-Anzani recently opened “Garu” retail showroom at the Imperial Palace WaterPark Resort and Spa in Mactan Island.

Dychangco-Anzani has initially partnered with eight world-known exporters who manufactures furniture, fashion accessories, home furnishings, and locally-designed resort wears, among others.

The “Garu” exporters’ retail showroom is situated at a 100-square-meter area inside the resort, and is expected to attract tourist-buyers.

“We need to have a showroom that will showcase Cebu’s well-known products, like Avatar’s accessories, the products made of Sting Ray skin. Tourists should be provided with this kind of facility,” said Dychangco-Anzani in a press conference announcing also the Dychango Group of Companies (DGC) expansion of its businesses over the next few years.

The “Garu” showroom is the first retail arm of the DGC. She hopes that this will help promote Cebu’s products to the tourism market.

The establishment of an exporters’ permanent showroom in Cebu, has been an overdue dream for both exporters and some government agencies, including local government units (LGUs).

According to Dychango-Anzani, her company has decided to invest on this concept as this idea has been floated for a long time, and has not been realized.

A lot of tourists both foreign and domestic have been wanting to see Cebu’s export goods in one area, for retail and “pasalubong” purposes.

Earlier, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-7) announced that a P15 million funds has been allocated for an establishment of a permanent exporters’ showroom in Cebu.

“I have been informed that the P15 million budget to build a permanent showroom for exporters in Cebu has been recently approved. This will answer to the call of the export sector to have a permanent showroom facility,” said DTI-7 regional director Asteria Caberte.

In partnership with the Philippine International Trade Corporation (PITC), DTI will facilitate on the construction of exporters’ permanent showroom in Cebu. However, as of now, “we are still negotiating and looking for best location.”

“We’re trying to hit the tourists. So, it is ideal that this facility will be located on the way to the airport, or near the airport in Mactan. But, we still have to look for a property,” Caberte said.

“This facility will be opened for everybody, and will also attract tourist-buyers. Cebu has become a well-known destination for good furniture and high-quality export products,” Caberte added.

Exporter Eric Ng Mendoza, who is also the president of Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) said what the exporters need right now, is the availability of permanent showroom facility.

Mendoza, said that it is more practical for exporters to display their products in a permanent basis, than having to participate local expositions with limited number of days, and will cost exporters’ much in terms of registration fee and logistics.

Caberte hopes that implementation of this project will start early next year.