MANILA, Philippines — Rustan’s, the style arbiter for all things fashion and beauty, ventured into curated lifestyle experiences last year with its “Summer Escape” travel fair, and it was such a huge success they brought it back again this year.
“We’re very proud that the results from last year’s travel fair brought more travel and lifestyle partners in this year’s leg,” says Michael “Mike” Huang, Rustan’s vice president for Store Planning and Expansion. “I can definitely say that HSBC was happy with 2018’s efforts, coming back again as our major partner for Rustan’s Summer Escape in 2019, and to add to that, more resort partners showed interest in participating.”
Around 20 local and international properties were offered at the travel fair, giving deals and discounts for top resorts and hotels in Boracay, Palawan and Cebu, as well as two cruise partners (Dream Cruises and Crystal Cruises) and two airline partners (Philippine Airlines and Cathay Pacific booked through Adventure International Tours, Inc.) for overseas getaways.
Riding the waves: Dina Tantoco, Rustan’s Marketing Communications manager
While Rustan’s worked with the same major partner this year, HSBC, their team also made sure this year’s event was a complete lifestyle experience for the customers. “Last year, we separated the displays of Rustan’s fashion, beauty and travel merchandise from the travel partners,” Huang says. “This year was different; we displayed all the items according to theme, for each desired destination, and we grouped the merchandise together with the suitable travel partner.”
If you’re dreaming of a beach getaway, for example, you would have found Crimson Boracay, El Nido Resorts and Discovery Leisure Group at the Tropical Paradise themed area together with Rustan’s products like swimwear from Maaji and Seafolly, summer dresses from JOA, Glamorous and Keepsake, lightweight button-downs from Ricardo Preto, sun-protection products from Rustan’s The Beauty Source, kids’ swimwear and sunglasses from Banz.
Rustan’s Summer Escape 2019 host Joey Mead-King
“The entire space was well utilized, featuring the rest of the themes like City Escapade, Getaway Cruise and Outdoor Adventure,” he continues. “This was also tied together with our new food concept, which offered a delicious menu of dishes found in the Mediterranean.”
Huang says customers were most drawn to merchandise from Rustan’s fashion, kids, beauty and home brands being offered at a minimum 15-percent discount, while luggage was up to 55 percent off. “This is definitely something that caught the attention of event-goers,” he says. “Aside from that, the food offered during the travel fair was also such a hit. We had different kinds of pizza, burrata from Bacolod and from Italy, jamon Iberico and Serrano, as well as delicious dips like hummus and baba ghanouj enjoyed by everyone at the event.”
Summer sale: Merchandise from Rustan’s fashion, kids, beauty and home brands are being offered at a minimum 15-percent discount, while luggage is up to 55 percent off.
Rustan’s strong marketing team originated the idea of Rustan’s holding a yearly travel fair, headed by Marketing Communications manager Dina Tantoco. “Together with our consultant, Frances Yu, they brainstorm activities that would bring great footfall to the stores and at the same time, deliver great satisfaction to our customers,” Huang says. “The team reviews activities that worked the past year and develop a concept from there. The Store Management team, Merchandising teams and Visual Merchandising are then brought in to bring the ideas to life. It is definitely a collaborative effort within the entire Rustan’s team.”
Rustan’s Summer Escape came from the company’s desire to offer their customers a complete lifestyle experience. They curate experiences and choose their partners based on the quality of the products and services they offer. “Rustan’s has a certain standard of offering the finest, and we are proud to say that this approach has served our customers well for the past 67 years,” notes Huang. “Our partners share in this same desire to serve and provide consumers with only the finest products and services found in the Philippines and the world.”
Hot style: Stay cool in the heat with Rustan’s fashions like summer dresses from JOA, Glamorous and Keepsake, lightweight button-downs from Ricardo Preto, and sunglasses from Banz
One example is Gouache, a local brand dedicated to bringing the best of the Philippines to the world. “Gouache creates specialty bags for active, artistic urbanites and adventure lovers, while supporting displaced craftsmen from Marikina and Cogeo Rizal,” Huang says. “This is something that Rustan’s appreciates, as we are always on the lookout to introduce new and exciting ways for Filipinos to appreciate and support our homegrown talents.”
I ask Huang what his idea of a perfect summer escape is, and he replies, “Being by the beach and just chilling under the sun and enjoying time with family.”
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From now until May 31, select travel essentials from Rustan’s fashion and beauty brands are discounted up to 55 percent. For every P3,000 spent, customers earn raffle entries to win summer getaway packages. Until April 30, spend a minimum of P15,000 on a single-receipt transaction and receive an exclusive travel pouch from Gouache. Rustan’s Summer Foodscapes, highlighting the flavors of Italy, Spain, France, Morocco and Turkey via booths and handpicked concessionaires, is also ongoing until April 30. Like and follow @RustansPH on Facebook and Instagram for details.