Cebuano traders win retail honors, to compete in nat’l tilt

FIVE Cebuano entrepreneurs were awarded Outstanding Filipino Retailers and will represent Cebu in the national search of the contest.

Casa Verde, What A Girl Wants, Cafe George, Shamrock and Cebu Home and Builders topped this year’s Cebu search and were automatically finalists in the national search, which culminates next year.

“The awarding will be done in Manila early January of next year. We will also have a special award for Cebu Retailer of the Year, which will also be given on the date as the national awarding,” said  PRA secretary general Evelyn Salire. Salire said the contest began in 1997 and started its Cebu search three years ago.

“We consider Cebu an important player in the retail industry   and since we held the search here, we have been getting a lot of strong contestants for the award,” he said.

PRA Cebu Chapter president Melanie Chua Ng said they are confident about the chances of the Cebu finalists this year.

“They were chosen from among 20 nominees by judges from the chamber, DTI and Eileen Mangubat of Cebu Daily News,” she said.

Other judges were Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Samuel Chioson and board member Tess Chan and Department of Trade and Industry provincial director Nelia Navarro. Last year, Cafe Laguna was the Outstanding Retailer of Cebu.

The restaurant bested six other finalists including Salon de Rose, Thirsty, Mooon Cafe, Junrex Cellphones and Accessories, Mandaue Foam and Leona’s.

In the past years, Cebu Belmont, Bo’s Coffee, Loalde, Island Souvenirs and Penshoppe were included in the PRA Hall of Fame.

Criteria for the selection of winning companies included products, operations, sales and marketing and reputation./Reporter Aileen Garcia-Yap