Robina Gokongwei-Pe: From ‘bodegera’ to retail empire CEO

FIRST IMAGE MODEL One of Gokongwei-Pe’s first “jobs” was endorser of Presto chocolates.

One of her first jobs at the family-led conglomerate was as endorser of in-house brand Presto chocolates. Along with her brother Lance, 10-year-old Robina Gokongwei-Pe adorned the Wafrets ads, her smiling face shown biting the chocolate snack bar with gusto.

She was happy to accept unlimited supply of chocolates as “talent fee.”

“I don’t know if dad was saving money at that time or he just thought his kids would look nice on camera…,” she recalls many decades after.

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But it’s the retail side of the business that tycoon John Gokongwei Jr. had trained his eldest daughter to lead, starting from the bottom of the ladder.

“In 1984, fresh out of university, I became a bodegera (stockroom staff) at Robinsons Department Store in Ermita. At the time, it was not only Robinsons Retail’s first banner (founded in 1980) but also its one and only store,” she recounts.

FIRST IMAGE MODEL One of Gokongwei-Pe’s first “jobs” was endorser of Presto chocolates.

When Robinsons Department Store started expanding outside Metro Manila, the tale of Gokongwei-Pe having a women-devouring python twin came about. These days, the urban legend has been relegated to a joke.

In 2002, Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. (RRHI) was incorporated to house all the retail businesses of the Gokongwei group under one roof.

But before the turn of the millennium, Gokongwei-Pe had risen to the C-suite. She was first appointed president and chief operating officer of the retail business in 1997 and became president and CEO in 2018.

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Since then, RRHI has grown into a multiformat empire—one of the most acquisitive in this part of the world.

In 2013, RRHI went public, thus boosting its firepower to further expand beyond the legacy formats. A string of game-changing merger and acquisition deals were sealed since then.

One of RRHI’s biggest deals happened in 2018, when it bought the grocery business of Rustan Supercenters Inc., giving it a formidable foothold in the upscale supermarket business.

Under Gokongwei-Pe’s wings, RRHI likewise ventured into the drugstore format and steadily grew the network by buying multiple brands. It acquired SouthStar Drug in 2012, The Generics Pharmacy in 2016 and Rose Pharmacy in 2020.

Gokongwei-Pe is one of the Inquirer’s first Women of Power.

Business mix

While supermarkets remain RRHI’s flagship business with 56.5 percent of revenues, drugstores now account for the second largest share at 17.4 percent as of 2023. The four other key business segments and their respective share of the pie are: department store (8.5 percent), specialty segment (7.9 percent), hardware (6.4 percent) and convenience stores (3.3 percent).

Seeing the potential of the pet shop business, RRHI teamed up with Singapore-based Pet Lovers Centre. It has likewise brought in new brands like Korean retailer No Brand, Japanese living ware retailer Daiso and hard discount store chain O!Save.

RRHI ended 2023 with 2,393 stores with a total gross floor area of 1.52 million square meters.

The group continues to innovate and launch new concepts.

In September, RRHI opened its newest concept store banner, Spatio at Opus Mall in Bridgetowne Destination Estate, a unique space that brings shopping, relaxation and luxury into one venue. The store features fashion created by renowned Filipino designers like Rhett Eala, Jorel Espina, Pinas Sadya and Zarah Juan, alongside exclusive sneaker releases from Sole Academy. Personal grooming and spa services are available at Bruno’s Barbers and Laybare Plus, while Sole Care (powered by Kutsu) provides premium shoe care. We The People Café offers a caffeine fix alongside happy hour at Bar Shu.

In July, RRHI announced that Gokongwei-Pe would transition to the role of chair, replacing her brother Lance. Stanley Co, 47, will assume the post of president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2025.

Robina Gokongwei-Pe —CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

With the succession of professional managers in place, and with Gokongwei-Pe still providing guidance at the board level, RRHI is seen to continue growing its business.

A leader’s success can be gauged by looking at whether the people who work for the company are happy to be part of it. Recently, Time and Statista included RRHI in the “World’s Best Companies of 2024,” a list of 1,000 companies ranked based on employee satisfaction, revenue growth and ESG (environment, social and governance) performance. In 2023, RRHI was likewise named among the “Philippines’ Best Employers” roster of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Also in 2013, she was part of the inaugural list of “Women of Power” celebrated by Inquirer.

Beyond her work as a business leader, Gokongwei-Pe also gives back to her alma mater, the University of the Philippines (UP), by supporting the UP Men’s Basketball Team, rebuilding the Fighting Maroons from cellar-dwellers to a formidable UAAP team. INQ