This brand new 425 square metre spot is designed by renowned architect, Ed Calma and features a beautiful Thom Browne shop-in-shop plus a gorgeous Assouline bookstore.

Heed some words of advice and hear from Jappy Gonzalez, founder of H&F Retail Concepts, which owns multi-brand stores Homme et Femme, UNIVERS:

Over the last 10 years, how has the industry evolved and changed? 

In the last 10 years, the retail industry—with the support of government agencies—has opened up to foreign-owned companies to operate in the Philippines. With this infusion of capital investment in the market and some local companies expansion alongside this, a more international retail landscape has been created. It has also given retailers like me, the opportunity to expand at the same level.   

How has UNIVERS as a brand evolved or changed? 

The fundamental vision of UNIVERS is that of evolution, but on our terms. So, in the past 10 years, we’ve played hosts to upcoming brands as well as established labels that have a shared vision—relevant and in tune with the future of our niche. 

Related: Industry Experts Speak Out About The Future of Retail In The Philippines

What important lessons have you personally learned over this time as a business owner and retail expert? 

One takeaway as a company grows is the recognition of the challenges that face the expansion of your vision. They can be quite costly; that's the price of education for us. 

It's one thing to run the front of the house, it's totally another aspect to run everything behind this.

How do you think consumer preferences have evolved? 

As we have entered into the next generation of consumers in the past 10 years, through constant but minute evolution, we’ve seen the market shift in tastes. This is a phenomenon from also having other Asian shoppers. It’s given us a wider berth to work with. Koreans, for example, are quick to pick up trends and have no second thoughts about making “strong” choices. In fact, they embrace this. Media has a lot to do with this as well.

What trends do you see for the future of your industry? 

Trends nowadays are hard to nail, given the COVID situation that has affected both consumer and supply chain. All that is certain is that in terms of pricing, every step of the supply and retail chain now costs considerably more. 

That said, I expect consumers will focus more on items that are worth more to them—rather than just the perception of something.

What do you think gives a brand staying power? 

Sustainability of the relevance in brand concept—cited with its evolution; [only] few hurdle this challenge as it is a sizeable investment. 

What do you think is key to customer retention and to building loyal fans to a brand? 

I’m going back to basics here. I’ve been in the industry for over 30 years and I’ve seen its several faces. Basics to me is not the same as basics to someone who started 15 years ago. It's really recognising your customer and having a relationship with them.  

You are very passionate about the arts. How do you think art and fashion collide and influence one another?

Art, like music and design, occupy the same sphere of influence to fashion. Fashion, like the arts, is an expression of the state of our culture. 

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