NOW that dollar-spending foreign tourists are rediscovering the Philippines, local retailers and mall operators are bound to experience a noticeable increase in sales as well as competition from one another.

Despite such motherhood statements as ?having it all,? no single establishment can ever claim to have everything under one roof. Standing out from a crowded field can, indeed, be a daunting challenge even to the biggest and most astute player.

Like the Emporium Shopping Complex on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok, Manila-based shopping establishments need to go beyond what?s expected of them to keep local and foreign customers happy and loyal.

Dubbed as ?the ultimate shopping complex,? the trendy Emporium, apart from directly operating a multilevel department store, houses high-end tenants as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci. It?s also the home of such mass-market chains as Zara, Guess, Greyhound and Esprit.

In terms of size, however, it pales in comparison to a number of bigger, more diverse establishments in Bangkok, including its newer and equally upscale sister mall, the Siam Paragon. Both malls and a number of other properties in Thailand are owned and managed by the Mall Group.

What the Emporium lacks in size, it tries to make up for in terms of services targeted specifically to tourists, expatriates and Thailand?s ever growing ?hi-so? (high society) set.

Out of the box

Under the helm of former hotelier Paipan Laklaem, the Emporium?s senior shopping complex manager, the mall has been providing department store clients out-of-the-box services inspired by a five-star hotel?s efficient and friendly concierge.

?We?re certainly not the only department store in Bangkok,? said Laklaem. ?By providing these services, we hope to give something different to our customers.?

The services include so-called ?hands-free? shopping, limousine service and flight reconfirmation. For internal as well as external marketing purposes, such features are grouped under the Emporium?s tourist service center.

?It?s one of the advantages of being small,? said Laklaem, a former sales manager of the Peninsula Bangkok. ?Unlike in the case of bigger malls, it?s not as difficult for us to look after the needs of our customers regardless of the market segment.?

The hands-free service allows the shopper to shop at any of the department store?s five levels without queuing to pay every so often or lugging around heavy bags. Selected items can be paid for in one transaction and collected later at a designated area.

Tourism remains and will continue to remain vital in Thailand. Apart from an English-speaking staff led by frequent visitor to the Philippines Watchareewan Singkaew, the Emporium?s customer relations manager, the department store has a number of multilingual interpreters on standby to assist Japanese, Korean, Russian, French and German tourists.

Tourists, especially those leaving on evening flights, can check out of their hotels by noon and use the extra time to shop at the Emporium.

What about their luggage? They can deposit them at the Emporium?s Platinum lounge until the time comes for them to leave for the airport. Mall hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

?We even go out of our way to help them repack their things,? said Laklaem. ?Should they need to ship items to their respective countries, we can arrange that for them through DHL.?

An information counter also offers money-changing services and VAT refund for tourists. Mall personnel can even assist shoppers make cinema and restaurant reservations as well as hook them up with taxi and car-rental services.

As its experience has shown, size doesn?t necessarily matter. In fact, some foreign customers, especially politicians, celebrities and members of royalty, relish the relative anonymity and discreet atmosphere a more intimate mall such as the Emporium offers.

Filipino shoppers

Even certain high-profile Filipino shoppers seem to savor the brief opportunity of blending in with the high-end crowd whenever they?re in Bangkok.

Singkaew once had the privilege of personally attending to First Gentleman Mike Arroyo during one of his trips with President Arroyo to Bangkok. Arroyo was even pleasantly surprised to find out that his hostess not only speaks fluent English, but also a smattering of Filipino.

A few days after last Christmas, Singkaew chanced upon Kris Aquino, with husband James Yap, at the department store?s makeup section. She recognized Aquino from the few times she saw her on TV while vacationing in the Philippines.

Since the country?s leading TV host seemed to know her way around the dozens upon dozens of expensive beauty products on the floor, Singkaew deemed it wise to keep her distance in order to give the couple some privacy.

The Emporium?s services, however, aren?t limited to tourists. The department store, through its in-house staff of personal stylists, regularly conducts fashion workshops to update customers? sense of style or to simply teach them, especially expatriates, subtle nuances in dressing that are in line with local customs and traditions.

Like the Chinese, for example, Thais rarely, if at all, wear black to a wedding.

?Of course, we hope that they would buy something from the store after each workshop,? said Laklaem, ?but that?s not a must. What?s important is they spend their time here listening to us.?

Customers are also welcome to bring articles of clothing they bought elsewhere, which they have no clue where and how to wear. The Emporium?s in-house stylists will help them match existing pieces from their wardrobes with what?s available in the store.

Although such features are limited within the Emporium?s department store area, chances are the malls? tenants also benefit indirectly from them. For one, the unique services bring warm bodies to the department store, which eventually spill over to common areas.

Laklaem said since they created the tourist service center three years ago, the department store?s sales increased by as much as 35 percent. It really pays to stand out in the crowd.