Bench-ed, but happy

In sports parlance, to be "on the bench" is to be relegated to reliever, possibly an important asset to the team for sustaining power, but definitely not first team material. But in the world of Philippine apparel retail, if you’re a personality plying the lucrative endorsement game, to be "on the Bench," is to rule the roost. If it comes to successful imaging of your worth as an endorser, given you are on the Bench team, you couldn’t do much better than to have your blown-up image in Superhero costume adorning the windows, walls, pillars, nooks and crannies of the new SuperBench store at Market! Market!, Fort Bonifacio.

Francine Prieto, Marc Nelson, Rica Peralejo, John Hall for the undergarments; Jay-R, John Pratts, Richard Gutierrez for the denims; Diether Ocampo, Richard and Lucy Gomez, Shaina Magdayao, Jomari Yllana, the list goes on and on. It’s a deep reservoir of talent that Bench has arrayed to sustain its image as the retail concern that’s top of the heap.

Positioning Bench as the ultimate affordable, yet highly-conceptualized, total lifestyle store, Ben Chan has proven himself time and time again. Over the years, many have tried (and continue to try) to emulate the formula for success Ben has forged. Victor Tan of Bobson, with all candor, accepted that to even approximate a fraction of what Ben and Bench have achieved, would be a worthwhile mission vision for Bobson as it ventures into being a lifestyle store.

And to further enhance just how "Time"-ly their concept of "lifestyle" is, Ben recently introduced a watch line that is fittingly called Bench/Time. (Do I see the PBA’s champion team’s sixth man as a possible endorser for the Sports line?) Movements from Japan, and meeting Swiss standards, the watches’ manufacture is handled by the Lucerne Group (ably represented by Ivan and Emerson Yao), ensuring quality and exacting design elements. At the recent launch of Bench/Time, one saw the variety of models available – testimonial of how Ben will always do things the right way.

Graced by the likes of Kris Aquino, Lucy Torres-Gomez, Raymond Gutierrez, Rissa Samson, Brent Javier, the watches have three basic categories – Classic, Fashion and Sports – with various models within each category. Getting a Sports Chronograph model, I was impressed with the look and heft of the watch. Certainly Lucerne is staking its name with this line and has found an ideal partner in Bench.

And therein lies the key to Bench’s success. Beyond the required marketing and promoting hoopla, Ben will always create to jumpstart awareness of the brand and his products, the products do speak for themselves, ensuring the longevity and repeat sales that form the cornerstones of any retail giant. You’ll find Bench in my underwear shelf, and I’m happy to report that my wrist now does its own version of Bench/Time.