Dear Members,

We are about to celebrate our 20th Anniversary Christmas Party at the Quezon City Sports Club’s New Air-conditioned Sports Lounge (an improvement in a section of the former Sports Lounge on the ground level beside the children’s playground) on 7 DECEMBER 2006 (Thursday) from 7:00-10:00pm.  The theme for our Party this year will be: “TWO DECADES OF SUPERMARKETS!”

 We will have a mini-exhibit of pictures of PAGASA member-stores so we hope you come and join us and tell us the stories behind your store(s). We will try to dispense with the reports this time and have a good time partying and reminiscing the early days of PAGASA (especially for those who have been with the Association since the late 80’s>calling Boy del Mundo, Jimmy Gow, Mina Catungal, George Cua and Johnny Lim).

As for our exchange gift portion, we are asking everybody joining us that evening to storm their brains (brainstorm?) and come up with the most exciting, most worthy, best value-for-money your P 20.00 can buy!  We will all bring a gift item worth P 20.00 (or less) that will capture the imagination of the recipient/receiver.  If you can bring a jewel box worth P 20.00 then you have a worthy gift for the person who will receive it.  Let’s not be tamad and try to think of something creative to give our fellow members. Now what can I buy with P 20.00? Two cans of Coke? Dito makikita ang pagiging maparaan mo bilang negosyante.  Sulit ba ang receiver ng gift mo sa P20.00 na ginastos mo? Each person who receives his (exchange) gift will open his/her gift in front of the whole party! (Of course, you can get generous and tie-up your P 20.00 gift with one that is worth P 20,000.00 and the recipient will definitely not mind receiving the additional gift attached to the original P 20.00 gift!) Let’s refrain by putting a P20.00 bill (or its pecuniary equivalent) inside a red envelope and the like.

Anyone who brings an item (pictures, pants <you can wear them to the party IF they still fit!>, pets, books or what-have-you) that is dated from 30 August 1986 (founding date of PAGASA) to 31 December 1986 (as such, paraphernalia from EDSA Revolution <Feb. of 1986> does not count) will get a special prize! There has to be proof that the item was purchased, manufactured or came into being during the period concerned. One prize per person only even if you bring items plentiful enough to fill a house.  This is just for fun purposes and to reminisce the old times or bring up new stories about yourselves during the era when PAGASA was in its infancy. Members like Emerson Sio (Sioland) can bring his cloth diapers to the party!  The more items you bring, the more stories generated that night!

Why QCSC? Have you been there lately? Yes, they lost a few of their magnificent trees because of Milenyo but those left behind have been decorated with Christmas lights to the max!  It feels like Christmas at the Club.  The New Air-conditioned Sports Lounge also has very cozy lighting and is just right for our party needs. Finally, if you are still not aware, Puregold is opening its biggest store in Metro Manila, The Puregold QI Center, right in the center of Q.I.!  It is at the corner of E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue (former Espana Extension) where you find QCSC and G. Araneta Avenue. Our party begins at 7:00pm so if you plan to visit this monstrous Puregold branch, do it early at around 5:30pm so you won’t get caught in traffic (it already being rush hour and the store is still novel to customers).  Puregold QI Center opens this  Thursday, 30 November 2006, 2 days from today!

See you at our 20th Anniversary X’mas Party!

Talks ranged from �Retail Trends and Growth Strategies� by A.C. Nielsen�s Mary Margaret Martinez/Associate Director for Retail Service to �The Future Formats in the Philippines-Hypermarkets and the rest of Retail� by NCCC Supermarket�s Marketing Director, the young Tjader Regis. CVC Supermarkets� Carlos Cabochan touched on Private Labels/Store Brands and P&G�s Backy Baquiran tackled In-store Marketing. At one point, Joseph Davidson Gaisano, Jr., CEO of White Gold Club, Inc. discussed suppliers� (lack of) Key Accounts Management from a retailer�s point-of-view while Unilever�s Key Customer Manager, Ello Siccion, �criticized� retailers� Buying and Selling from a supplier�s perspective. It was pretty exciting and temperatures rose despite the very cold and nice weather in Baguio! Miguel Suterio of Trade Dynamics Int�l. refereed with his topic on Strategic Partnership between Retailers and Manufacturers/Suppliers while Cecilio Pedro, founder and CEO of Lamoiyan Corporation (makers of Hapee Toothpaste: a challenger to the Goliaths Colgate and Close-up), gave an inspirational speech on �The Future of the Filipino Manufacturing Entrepreneur� for the suppliers in the audience. Ex-Unilever & Splash Corporation point man-turned-entrepreneur Mars Aaron ended the Conference with how to be an upstart supplier in today�s congested world of retailing.

The picture by the Conference banner shows part of the PAGASA delegation with inspirational speaker and entrepreneur-extraordinaire Cecilio Pedro: (from left) Letty Badilla of Royal Family Superstore, Emerson Sio of Sioland, PAGASA Director Edgar Robes of Susanamart, PAGASA President Steven T. Cua of Welcome Supermart, Mr. Pedro, Robert Go of Prince Warehouse Club/Cebu and PAGASA Vice President Roy Chua of Daily Supermarket.

The shot by the lobby of the Conference Hall shows (from left) Zandre Gravador of Goszap, Carling Cabochan of CVC Supermarkets, Net Uy of Johnny's Supermarket/Angeles, Julie Teh (in white) of San Miguel Corporation, speaker Migs Suterio (4th from right) and Rennie Guevarra of Fernando's Supermarket (also the Conference Chairman; 3rd from right).

Picture shows (seated clockwise) PAGASA Vice President Roy Chua of Daily Supermarket, Letty Badilla of Royal Family Superstore, Fred Gravador of Gozsap, PAGASA Board Member Edgar Robes of Susanamart, PAGASA President Steven Cua, Emerson Sio of Sioland (standing from left) Zandre Gravador of Gozsap, Robert Go of Prince Warehouse Club/Cebu and PAGASA Treasurer/E-Secretary William Villanueva of Purity Supermarket (not present in picture were Conrad Layug and Del Datur of newest member Commonwealth Avenue Supermarket).

Another picture shows PAGASA members with family showing off their summer house/log cabin which they intend to purchase for future PAGASA trips to Baguio IF AND WHEN the Association coughs up enough money from future fund-raising projects! Living was easy at the classy Manor Hotel inside Camp John Hay. The group toured the different supermarkets the Summer Capital had to offer as a way of learning as you relax! Ukay-ukay (2nd hand clothes retailing) was a scene to watch along popular Session Road at weekend nights and the group dipped its palate into the original dishes of classic stops in Baguio like the 456 Kitchenette and of course, coffee, coffee and lots of coffee in a place as cold and nice as Baguio!