VietNamNet Bridge - Robins Department Store Pcl of the Central Group, owned by the family of Mr. Tos Chirathivat, Thailand's richest man, opened the Robins shopping center in HCM City last Friday, following its first center in Hanoi in early March this year.



{keywords}




Mr. Philippe Broianigo, CEO of Central Vietnam, said the second center has an investment capital of $4 million, covering 10,000 m2, with four floors, providing 10,000 categories of goods supplied by 200 suppliers. This center sells many worldwide luxury brands, including large volumes of Thai goods.

In Thailand, the Central Group is famous for its shopping center chain named Robinsons. In Vietnam, this retailer has shortened the name to Robins.

Robins is not the first retail project in Vietnam of Central Group. Previously, the stores Supersports, Crocs and New Balance opened in Vietnam through the distribution system of Central Group’s subsidiaries and franchise partners.

According to the Central Group, the opening of two shopping centers in Vietnam is part of a plan approved last year to expand to other markets in Southeast Asia, with a budget of about $460 million to set up shopping malls in Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.

This move reflects an aggressive wave of Thai investors in Vietnam.

Previously, Berli Jucker (BJC), owned by Thailand's third richest man - Mr. Charoen Sirivadhanabhak – spent $32 million in 2012 to purchase 65% stake in Thai An, a retailer in the North.

Shortly thereafter, BJC acquired the convenience store chain Family Mart and renamed it into B'mart. This year BJC paid nearly $880 million to acquire the entire chain Metro Cash & Carry Vietnam.

The second richest man in Thailand – Mr. Dhani Chearavanont, chairman of Charoen Pokhphand Group (CP Group) - has been in Vietnam since 1990 and currently holds 7% of the industrial pork market, 16% of industrial egg market and about 22% of the industrial chicken market.

CP All – the operator of the 7-Eleven brand in Thailand – in late 2013 said it would open its first store in HCM City. The 7-Eleven system in Thailand has over 3,000 stores, ranking fourth in the world.

Minh Nguyet