Robinson to open stores in SEZs

Alan Thomson, president of Robinson Department Store and international business director of CRC, said Robinson would continue to expand in Thailand wherever the company sees a good opportunity. However its expansion is now slower and its focus is more on its existing stores.
 Last year, the company opened a Lifestyle Centre in Mukdahan on the border with Laos and this year on December 18, a new Lifestyle Centre will be opened in Mae Sot in Tak province.
“These stores are being built to take greater advantage of cross-border trade. SEZ projects are good initiatives but will take time to develop and for us to realise any opportunities,” Thomson said.
He said Robinson had four major business units, which are department stores, Lifestyle Centres, shop-in-shop stores for international fashion brands, and department stores in Vietnam.
The company currently operates 42 department stores in the Kingdom, as well as two in Vietnam. Robinson also has 15 Lifestyle Centres, with two more on Sri Saman Road in Nonthaburi and in Mae Sot to open by the end of this year. The company also operates shop-in-shop stores for international fashion brands, including Payless Shoes, Claire’s and BabyShop. Next year, Aeropostale will be added to this unit.
“This year sales have been challenging due to the economic situation, but we are gradually seeing a recovery driven by the changes we are making to our business. We still, however, do not see any significant improvements in the economic situation and the customers’ mindset to spend money on discretionary items such as clothing,” Thomson said.
Thomson joined CRC in October 2009 as managing director of CRC Sports Co, running SuperSports, Thailand’s largest sporting-goods retailer. In 2011, he was also assigned to be international business director for CRC to develop stores in Vietnam, including Robins Department Store, SuperSports and single-brand shops such as New Balance and Crocs. Thomson was promoted as president of Robinson Department Store in January 2014.
“We currently have two RBS stores in Vietnam. Both are now celebrating their first anniversary, in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. We are still evaluating the sales and performance, which is good, before we further develop our business in Vietnam. It takes time to understand our Vietnamese customers and their preferences. We have no plan to expand to other markets at the moment,” he said.
He said Robinson was slowing down its expansion to focus more on its top 20 existing stores in which the company still sees great potential.
In August next year, the company will open a new department store in the new CentralPlaza shopping centre in Nakhon Si Thammarat being developed by Central Pattana. The company will also open its 18th lifestyle mall in Lop Buri in October next year.
“From 2018 to 2020, if we see an improvement in the economic situation, we hope to open between three and four new stores per year,” Thomson said.
He said Robinson was currently the No 1 department-store chain in Thailand with the widest market coverage. Its stores serve more than 2 million customers monthly.
“With strong business fundamentals and a [listing] on the Thai stock exchange, our vision is to continue to exceed the expansions [expectations] of our customers, employees and shareholders,” he said.