The Phil. Amalgamated Supermarkets Association (PAGASA) is a yearly supporter and co-organizer of the National Retail Conference & Exhibition (NRCE). For its 23rd Edition this year, it will be held at the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay. The Conference will run for  two days from 10-11 August 2016.

On 15 July 2016 at the New World Hotel’s Grand Ballroom, the Vietnamese Embassy in the Phils. commemorated the 40 th Anniversary of the Viet Nam-Phils. Diplomatic Relations as hosted by H.E. Ambassador Truong Trieu Duong (whom STC had the good fortune of greeting that evening).

On the two days when NRCE and the PAGASA General Meeting were held, a few PAGASA Members decided to visit the 57 th Mall of the SM Group> S Maison on J.W. Diokno Blvd under the newly-constructed Conrad Hotel.  This upscale mall just opened on 15 July 2016 and as a result of the scarce human traffic for the moment, is a paradise of a mall when compared to the crowded malls in the metropolis.  After Day 2 of NRCE, STC together with former VP-Roy Chua (Daily Super Market), Treasurer Myke Teodoro (Cavite’s Vela Mart) and Dir. Arjie Lim (Palawan’s Andrew Grocery) went for their caffeine fix at Café Benne on the ground floor of the SMX in MOA.

On 29 June 2016, one of Vietnam’s premier manufacturers of home and kitchen appliances, Kangaroo, visited the PAGASA Office to inquire about the retail market in the Philippines and possible leads for distributorship of their products in this country.  Seated between STC and Amber Lee (handling Phil. market) is Ms. Tran Thi Que/Dir. for International Business Development of Kangaroo Appliances.

At the newly-constructed Novotel at the Araneta Center, the Philippine Retailers Association held its 2/Q General Membership Meeting-cum-Election of Board Members on 28 June 2016.  Guest Speaker for this gathering was Partner of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Mary Jade T. Roxas-Divinagracia, CFA and she spoke on the latest findings on consumer behavior.  Among which she says that China is leading the way in online purchases given the growth of ownership of smartphones; 40% of Phil. customers still look for service from sales assistants as the biggest factor in determining choice of store to shop in; talent, stock availability and promo personalization are key retail differentiators; and that today’s consumers look to community mainly for exclusive offers and promos, among many other findings.  The PRA voted for its fresh batch of 16 Board Members from 19 candidates who filed their candidacy to run for the Board this year.

Senior Àlvaro Espejo, Consultancy & Training Manager of OPERA Global Business, a consultancy firm doing a global market study for white hog meat of Spain, visited PAGASA’s office on 16 June 2016 to assess the possibility of selling white hog meat to local supermarkets. Aside from supermarkets, they were looking for options as to where to market fine Spanish tapas and white hog meat given the Philippines’ growing market.

On the eve of 16 June 2016, PAGASA’s STC thanks PRA’s Secretary-General Ms. Evelyn Balme-Salire for years of cooperation between the PRA and PAGASA resulting in mutual advantages for both organizations. STC awarded Ms. Salire with a 30 th Anniversary Commemorative Coin of the EDSA Revolution minted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). This is in line with the fact that PAGASA was organized immediately after EDSA Revolution; thus, the acronym PAGASA. As such, PAGASA is also celebrating its 30 th Year of Service to its Members in particular and Service to the Buying Public in general.