RRHI brings Singaporean pet store franchise to PH

RRHI president Robina Gokongwei-Pe during the company’s stockholders meeting on May 28, 2018

Gokongwei-led retailer Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. (RRHI) has entered pet care retailing through a franchise agreement with Pet Lovers Centre, Singapore’s leading pet store operator.

The first store of Pet Lovers Centre will open in Robinsons Galleria Manila by the third quarter of this year, RRHI president Robina Gokongwei-Pe announced to stockholders in a meeting on Monday.

“People love pets. They take care of pets,” Gokongwei-Pe said in a press chat after RRHI’s stockholders meeting.

Gokongwei said she herself used to have a number of pugs when she lived in a house but said that because she was now living in a high-rise apartment, she could not bring them along.

Asked why RRHI had to bring a foreign pet store franchise instead of just creating its own brand, Gokongwei-Pe said Pet Lovers Centre had a nice assortment of pet food.

“We want to make sure that it (first store) runs smoothly before we open the second one, if it runs smoothly, the second one will come very fast,” she said.