Robinsons Retail invests in cosmetics e-commerce site

MANILA, Philippines — Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc., the listed retail arm of the Gokongwei group, has acquired a 20 percent stake in Taste Central Curators Inc., a company that operates a beauty and cosmetics e-commerce site.

RRHI said the move is seen to further expand and strengthen RRHI’s presence in the beauty format and e-commerce space.

According to its website, BeautyMNL is a magazine and shop. As a magazine, it provides insightful articles tailor-fit to the Filipina’s lifestyle, whether it’s finding a good sunscreen for Philippine weather or the best shade of red lipstick to match your skin tone. It helps readers with easy how-tos, and beauty trends.

BeautyMNL provides access to makeup sellers, skincare service providers, hair authorities, and other players in the beauty industry.

“Our curated assortment of products lets you stock up on beauty staples, and even get your hands on buzzy miracle cures like Moroccan Argan oil and Korean snail cream,” it said on its website.

RRHI was incorporated and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Feb. 4, 2002 as Robinsons Holdings Inc. Its  core retail operations include supermarkets, department stores, do-it-yourself (DIY) stores, convenience stores, drug stores and specialty stores.

Some of the brand names under RRHI include “Handyman Do it Best,” “True Value,” “Topshop,” “Topman,” “Toys “R” Us,” “Ministop,” “Daiso Japan,” “Costa Coffee,” “South Star Drug,” and “The Generics Pharmacy” (TGP).

RRHI operates its supermarkets, department stores, consumer electronics and appliances stores, big box hardware stores, and community malls under the “Robinsons” brand name.

According to its profile, RRHI has 12 wholly-owned subsidiaries and 17 affiliates, which include Robinson’s Supermarket Corp., Robinson’s Handyman, Robinsons Appliances, South Star Drug, The Generics Pharmacy, Everyday Convenience Stores,  Robinsons Specialty Stores, and Savers Electronic World.

As of Dec. 31, 2016, the company had 1,578 stores, consisting of 140 supermarkets, 43 department stores, 178 DIY stores, 499 convenience stores, 412 drug stores and 306 specialty stores. This excludes 1,912 TGP franchised stores and 3,000 distribution outlets of Chic Centre.