THE Gokongwei group, which is involved in the drugstore business through Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. (RRHI), is interested in exploring opportunities in the healthcare sector.
鈥淲e are looking at the healthcare space primarily because, just like in any other country, it鈥檚 driven by longer-term trends such as the aging population and鈥 [its impact on] the economy. This will continue to increase as people get wealthier,鈥 RRHI Chairman Lance Y. Gokongwei said at a virtual forum on Thursday organized by the Makati Business Club.
鈥淚 think from our assessment, we are not yet sure whether we have a right to win in this space. The only space where we are actively involved is really in the pharmacy side where we own a leading generics brand, which is TGP (The Generics Pharmacy), and we now have the second largest chain of drugstores, which are the combined Southstar Drug and Rose Pharmacy,鈥 he added.
RRHI acquired Rose Pharmacy in 2020 from Dairy Farm International Holdings, Ltd. wholly owned unit Mulgrave Corp. B.V.
Rose Pharmacy retails medicine and personal care products as well as in-house names Rose Pharmacy Generics and Singapore-based Guardian Pharmacy鈥檚 personal care products.
RRHI launched its 870th Rose Pharmacy drugstore in Cebu鈥檚 Lapu-Lapu City on Sept. 17.
Prior to Rose Pharmacy, RRHI acquired Southstar Drug in 2012 and community drugstore chain TGP in 2016.
TGP has over 2,000 franchised stores nationwide, offering generic and affordable medical products.
NEW SUPERMARKET MANAGER
Meanwhile, RRHI has appointed Stanley C. Co as the new managing director of the listed retailer鈥檚 supermarket segment, taking the post of Justiniano 鈥淛ody鈥 S. Gadia following the latter鈥檚 retirement.
鈥淛ody and Stanley have been instrumental in many of our achievements as a multi-format retailer, and with Stanley鈥檚 solid track record as a manager, I believe that he will continue Jody鈥檚 legacy in paving the Supermarket Segment鈥檚 path towards more milestones and new frontiers for growth,鈥 RRHI President and Chief Executive Officer Robina Gokongwei-Pe said in a statement on Thursday.
Mr. Gadia will be retiring as managing director at the end of the month. He previously held leadership positions in Universal Robina Corp. for a decade, and held leadership roles in RRHI in the last 19 years, and was the head of RRHI鈥檚 supermarket segment for 16 years.
RRHI鈥檚 supermarket segment includes Robinsons Supermarket, The Marketplace, Shopwise, Robinsons Easymart, and No Brand.
Mr. Co will take on the role by the first of October, after having been with RRHI for 18 years. He was the group general manager for the DIY (do-it-yourself) segment of the company, before being appointed in March this year as deputy managing director of the supermarket segment.
Mr. Co obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from De La Salle University in 2003 and a bachelor鈥檚 degree in commerce, major in economics from the University of Sto. Tomas in 1998.
鈥淲ith the dynamic nature of retail and the disruptions brought about by COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), there is much room for further innovation in the business to make shopping safe, convenient, and delightful for both our offline and online customers,鈥 Mr. Co said.
Shares of RRHI at the stock exchange went up by 0.51% or 25 centavos to close at P49.25 apiece. 鈥 Arjay L. Balinbin and Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte
