Central Group
The Central Group of Companies (Thai: กลุ่มเซ็นทรัล) or Central Holding is a family-owned conglomerate holding company in Thailand that is involved in merchandising, real estate, retailing, hospitality and restaurants. Among its subsidiaries are Central Pattana and the Central Retail Corporation. Its current CEO is Tos Chirathivat, grandson of the company founder. Its chief rival is The Mall Group, which owns Siam Paragon and The Emporium and several suburban shopping centres.
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Type | Family-owned Holding Company |
---|---|
Industry | Merchant, Real estate, Retailing, Hospitality, Restaurants |
Founded | 1947 |
Founder | Tiang Chirathivat |
Headquarters | Bangkok, Thailand |
Area served | Thailand Italy Germany Denmark Vietnam Malaysia Indonesia Maldives Sri Lanka |
Key people | Tos Chirathivat, CEO |
Products | Shopping centres, department stores, restaurants, hotels. |
Revenue | ![]() |
Total assets | US$9.7 billion (2014 est) |
Number of employees | 94,150[1] |
Subsidiaries | Central Pattana PLC (SET: CPN) Central Plaza Hotel PLC (SET: CENTEL) Central Retail Corporation PLC (SET: CRC) Central Online PLC (SET: COL) |
Website | www.centralgroup.com |
Founder Tiang emigrated from Hainan Island to Bangkok in 1925. Most other Chinese immigrants started businesses in Chinatown, Bangkok. He set up his first shop in the Thonburi District on the outskirts of Bangkok across the Chao Phraya River from the city center. He moved across the Chao Phraya River to a location near the grand Oriental Hotel (now the Mandarin Oriental), where he opened a store with his eldest son, Samrit, in 1947.[2] In 1956, the family opened Thailand's first department store in Chinatown. In 1957, Tiang's son, Samrit Chirathivat, opened the first Central Department Store in Wangburapha, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok. The company's property development arm, Central Pattana was founded in 1980, and opened its first shopping centre, CentralPlaza Ladprao in Chatuchak District, Bangkok, in 1982. Besides expansion through physical presence in the Bangkok retail space, Central Group has in recent years built an online presence among ASEAN e-tailers.
Major subsidiaries
![](../I/Central_Embassy.jpg.webp)
- CPN (Central Pattana) real property development and malls management: CentralPlaza, CentralFestival, and CentralWorld.[3]
- CDG (Central Department Store Group), legally named Central Retail Corporation (CRC) operates its department and retail stores: Central Department Store (including defunct Zen), Robinson Department Store, CRC Sports, La Rinascente, ILLUM, Alsterhaus, KaDeWe, and Oberpollinger. Central Embassy, a shopping center next to Central Chidlom, is also operated by CDG.[4]
- CHR (Centara Hotel and Resort) operates more than 40 hotels and resorts and private residences in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Maldives, and Sri Lanka.[5]
- CRG (Central Restaurant Group) food franchises in Thailand: Mister Donut, KFC (malls branch only), Auntie Anne's, Pepper Lunch, Chabuton, Cold Stone, Ryu Shabu Shabu, The Terrace, Yoshinoya, Ootoya, Tenya, and Katsuya.[6]
- CFG (Central Food Retail Group) offers fresh, grocery and household merchandise in multiple food retail formats to suit customer segment's needs. The format include Central Food Hall, Tops Market, Tops SUPERSTORE, Tops daily, Tops Superkoom, Eathai, Central Wine Cellar, Segafredo, Tops Shop Online, and FamilyMart. The business unit also bought Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Japan's number 1 drugstore.[7]
- CHG (Central Hardline Group) home and electric appliances store: Power Buy, Baan and Beyond, and Thai Watsadu.[8]
- CMG (Central Marketing Group) high-end fashion imports such as: Casio watches, G-Shock, and Mango clothing.[9]
- CMG-MY (Central Marketing Group Malaysia) operates popular fashion brands such as: John Master, KIKO, Baby KIKO, Trudy & teddy and Schwarzenbach[10]
- CGVN (Central Group Vietnam) operates central brands in Vietnam, Nguyenkim Shopping Center, BigC Vietnam, Lanchi Mart, LOOKKOOL, HOME MART, Robins, Delala, Supersports Vietnam, and B2S.
- COL (Central Online) books, stationery, and office store. It operates central group's e-commerce system and applications: B2S, OfficeMate, and Cenergy Innovation.[11]
Malls
CPN Malls
![](../I/CentralWorld-Gass_Facade.jpg.webp)
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![](../I/Central-village.jpg.webp)
![](../I/2019_02_Central_Mall_Korat_interior.jpg.webp)
Name | Opening | Floor area (m²) | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Central Lardprao | April, 1983 | 76,000 | Bangkok |
CentralPlaza Ramindra | November, 1993 | 86,000 | Bangkok |
CentralPlaza Pinklao | March, 1995 | 350,000 | Bangkok |
Central Marina | July, 1995 | 62,000 | Chonburi |
Central Chiangmai Airport | March, 1996 | 250,000 | Chiang Mai |
CentralPlaza Rama III | October, 1997 | 220,000 | Bangkok |
CentralPlaza Bangna | December, 2001 | 340,000 | Bangkok |
Central Rama II | December, 2002 | 210,000 | Bangkok |
CentralWorld | December, 2002 | 550,000 | Bangkok |
CentralPlaza Rattanathibet | December, 2003 | 300,000 | Nonthaburi |
Central Phuket - Festival | September, 2004 | 120,000 | Phuket |
Central Chaengwattana | November, 2008 | 310,000 | Nonthaburi |
Central Pattaya Beach | January, 2009 | 250,000 | Pattaya |
Central Udon Thani | April, 2009 | 250,000 | Udon Thani |
Central Chonburi | May, 2009 | 127,400 | Chonburi |
Central Khon Kaen | December, 2009 | 260,000 | Khon Kaen |
Central Chiangrai | March, 2011 | 110,000 | Chiang Rai |
CentralPlaza Phitsanulok | October, 2011 | 100,000 | Phitsanulok |
Central Grand | December, 2011 | 214,000 | Bangkok |
Central Suratthani | October, 2012 | 130,000 | Surat Thani |
CentralPlaza Lampang | November, 2012 | 120,000 | Lampang |
CentralPlaza Ubonratchathani | April, 2013 | 140,000 | Ubon Ratchathani |
Central Chiangmai Festival | November, 2013 | 260,000 | Chiang Mai |
Central Hatyai | December, 2013 | 295,000 | Songkhla |
CentralFestival Samui | March, 2014 | 90,000 | Ko Samui |
CentralPlaza Salaya | August, 2014 | 180,000 | Nakhon Pathom |
CentralPlaza Rayong | May, 2015 | 150,000 | Rayong |
CentralPlaza WestGate | August, 2015 | 500,000 | Nonthaburi |
CentralFestival EastVille | October, 2015 | 160,000 | Bangkok |
CentralPlaza Nakhon Si Thammarat | July, 2016 | 125,000 | Nakhon Si Thammarat |
CentralPlaza Nakhon Ratchasima | November, 2017 | 355,000 | Nakhon Ratchasima |
CentralPlaza Mahachai | November, 2017 | 170,000 | Samut Sakhon |
Central Phuket - Floresta | September, 2018 | 300,000 | Phuket |
Central i-City* | March, 2019 | 278,000[12] | Shah Alam, Malaysia |
Central Village Luxury Outlet | August, 2019 | 40,000 | Samut Prakan |
CentralPlaza Ayutthaya | 2021 | 160,000 | Ayutthaya |
CentralPlaza Siracha | 2021 | 140,000 | Chonburi |
CentralPlaza Chanthaburi | 2022 | 92,000 | Chanthaburi |
* Central i-City, despite managed by CPN, is the only mall that didn't feature Central Department Store or any Central Group retail stores.
Department stores
All chains are operated by Central Department Store Group (CDG)
Chains | Country | Branches |
---|---|---|
Central Department Store | Thailand | 22 (In 2019, Zen Department Store was rebranded as Central[13]) |
Indonesia | 1 (Opened first at Grand Indonesia in 2014, then opened its second branch at Neo Soho in 2016, but Neo Soho branch closed down from February 18. 2019 due to low sales.)[14] | |
Robinson Department Store (Robins in Vietnam) | Thailand | 44[15] |
Vietnam | 2 | |
Rinascente | Italy | 9 (2 in Rome) |
Illum* | Denmark | 1 |
Alsterhaus* | Germany | 1 |
KaDeWe* | Germany | 1 |
Oberpollinger* | Germany | 1 |
Globus* | Switzerland | 13 |
- (*) in partnership with Signa Holding
Philanthropy
- Thailand
In 2020, Central Group donated 68 million USD to help Thai people during COVID-19 pandemic.[16]
- Vietnam
In 2017, Central Group presented gifts to 3,600 disadvantaged children.[17] In 2020, Central Group donated 70,000 medical masks and 9,000 anti-drop glasses to two leading hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, National Hospital of Tropical Diseases Hanoi and National Hospital of Tropical Diseases Ho Chi Minh. Central Group presented 4 medical rooms for negative pressure isolation treatment, isolation support, and treatment of COVID-19 patients.[18]
References
- "Achievements: Employees". Central Group. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
- Ono, Yukako (10 September 2017). "For Thailand's retail giant Central Group, it is no longer all in the family". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- "Central Pattana Group (CPN)". Central Group. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- "Central Department Store Group (CDG)". Central Group. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- "Centara Hotels and Resorts Group (CHR)". Central Group. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- "Central Restaurants Group (CRG)". Central Group. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- "Central Food Retail Group (CFG)". Central Group. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- "Central Hardlines Group (CHG)". Central Group. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- "Central Marketing Group (CMG)". Central Group. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- "Central Marketing Group Malaysia (CMG-MY)". Central Marketing Group Malaysia. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- "Central Online (COL)". Central Group. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- "Central i-City". www.cpn.co.th. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
- "CENTRAL GROUP on Instagram: "[#CGUPDATE] เปลี่ยนคุณให้เป็นอีกคน เริ่มต้นความสนุกครั้งใหม่ กับ ZEN ที่เปลี่ยนชื่อเป็น CENTRAL @ centralwOrld แล้ววันนี้ #CENTRALGroup…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- https://cdn1.imggmi.com/uploads/2019/1/11/165036cfccfa2a903e76c48f38a18f1d-full.png
- "Store Location". Robinson Department Store. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ""เซ็นทรัล" ตอบจม.นายกฯ ควัก 2 พันล้าน ช่วยโควิด-19".
- "Central Group Việt Nam và Big C tặng 3.600 phần quà cho trẻ em nhân ngày thiếu nhi".
- "Central Group tặng 70.000 khẩu trang y tế và 9.000 kính chống giọt bắn cho bệnh viện".