First Go Lokal! store in Robinsons Place Manila

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Quality Filipino products from outstanding micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs from various parts of the country are now in Metro Manila through the Go Lokal! stores.

Robinsons Department Store, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) opens today the first Go Lokal! store in Robinsons Place Manila.

Robinsons Department Store, an affiliate of Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc., is the first mainstream outlet to launch Go Lokal!, a public-private collaboration between DTI and local retailer partners that aims to showcase modern and indigenous quality products crafted, designed, and created by innovative Philippine micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). 

The Go Lokal! program has been designed to serve as incubation, marketing, and branding platform for the best of Philippine MSMEs products including next generation One Town One Product (OTOP) offerings. This new market access platform via a design-led concept store is set to revolutionize the way hard-to-find and artisanal Filipino products are sold in the local market, and will bring together a specially-curated line-up that ranges from food, apparel, accessories, home décor, gadgets and gift items. 

They can be found in consumer-frequented locations as a mainstream distribution channel for world-class Filipino products while offering value for money for targeted consumers and tourists.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said DTI is more than excited to open its first mainstream Go Lokal! store with Robinsons Department Store as its dynamic partner in this effort of maximizing market access and providing exposure to our MSMEs.

“Go Lokal! is truly a vibrant model for MSME development and inclusive business. We are happy that committed partners like Robinsons have taken on this challenge. We look forward to opening more outlets in their malls and department stores across the country,” Sec. Lopez said.

Robina Gokongwei-Pe, President and COO of Robinsons Department Store, said that the program will benefit MSMEs because it’s a mainstream platform that brings them closer to a more diverse market and creates positive effects to the economy by encouraging entrepreneurship. “This partnership with DTI is Robinsons Department Store’s contribution to nation-building by providing our entrepreneurs an environment where they can be passionate about their businesses and prosper from their efforts, as we create opportunities for MSMEs to grow, succeed and make an impact to the retail industry,” said Gokongwei-Pe.

Johnson Go, General Manager of Robinsons Department Store, said that Go Lokal! is Robinsons Department Store’s way of supporting Filipino entrepreneurs into their initial foray into more mainstream markets by making them more accessible to both local and foreign consumers. “The diverse product line of Go Lokal! brings together the best products that the Philippines has to offer which are world-class locally-made quality products by our MSMEs,” said Go.

The DTI Secretary also said that aside from providing market access for MSME products, the Go Lokal! program is a platform for new entrepreneurs to test the marketability of their products without the fear of losing rental and commercial costs because their experience is free of charge.

 

Portion of Go Lokal! revenues will go to the various corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects of Robinsons Department Store including the government’s drug rehabilitation program.

2016 Sikat Pinoy National Trade Fair : Give the Best of the Philippines this Christmas

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Lighting of the special setting to mark the official opening of the Sikat Pinoy National Trade Fair. In the photo are (from left): Hon. Jocelyn Limkaichong, 1st district representative of Negros Oriental ; Asec. Christopher Naga (ROG) ; Director Rhodora Leano, Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion.

Looking for Christmas gifts that are unique and meaningful, yet affordable? Do you want to share your Christmas blessings by supporting the livelihoods of home-grown small and medium entrepreneurs? Do you want to help provide employment to our countrymen in the provinces, and preserve our heritage crafts?

The 2016 SikatPinoy National Trade Fair, with its theme Piling-Piling Produktong Pilipino, brings the best products of SMEs from all over the Philippines under one roof for the convenience of Metro Manila shoppers. This is happening on December 7-11, at the Megatrade Halls in SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City. Admission is free.

Over 280 exhibitors were carefully screened and selected to bring a mix of regional delicacies, artisanal crafts, home décor, novelty items, knick-knacks, etc. Here is a rundown of what visitors will find at the fair:

• FURNITURE & FURNISHINGS – dining sets, sala sets, tables, chairs, stools, bar counters, beds, cabinets, wine racks, wall panels, chandeliers, lamps, and clocks made from wood and other locally available material.

• HOME DÉCOR – dividers, trays, hampers, baskets, paper weights, wall décor, vases, planters, fossilized flowers, corn husk roses, water bonsai, fine bone China home décor, curtains, fitted sheets, blankets, mats, soft toys, candle holders, chimes, and many other decorative items.

• FASHION ACCESSORIES – fine jewelry (rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, bangles) made from gold, silver, pearls and other semi-precious stones; costume jewelry; bags, wallets, pouches, backpacks and satchels made from leather, snakeskin, buntal, pandan, ticog, and other indigenous materials.
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• HANDWOVEN – wall hangings and tapestries; table runners, placemats and napkins; blankets and rugs; shawls, ponchos, and tribal wear — made from Banaue ikat, Kalinga fabric, Vigan abel, Negros silk, Bohol raffia, other local weaves. 

• FOOTWEAR – shoes, slippers, sandals, espadrilles made from local materials such as abel and sabutan.

• SNACK FOOD – chicharon, chicharabao, empanada, macapuno, nata de coco, coco jam, peanuts and peanut butter, bibingka, macaroons, uraro, biscocho, butterscotch, rosquillos, cookies, sans rival, polvoron, turones de casoy, cashew nuts, mazapan de pili, pastillas, banana chips, durian candy, noodles, and many other regional delicacies.

• PROCESSED MEAT — different types of longganisa from Vigan to Lucban; as well as tocino, bagnet, embutido, tapa, pork barbeque, and other meat products.

• CONDIMENTS – vinegars such as sugarcane vinegar, coco vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and sukang Iloko; different types of bagoong, shrimp paste and crab paste; bottled laing, sinaing na tulingan, ginataang tailis, and bicol express; chili flakes and paste, garlic bits; fruit preserves, macapuno, and coco sugar; Himalayan sea salt, and many others.

• COFFEE & BEVERAGES – robusta/arabica coffee from the Cordilleras and corn coffee from Agusan del Sur; fruit wines made from bignay, bugnay, pineapple, guyabano, honey, rambutan, yacoon, sugar cane, and mango; herbal teas made from moringa, lemongrass, turmeric, and ginger brew; fresh milk, yoghurt, and kesong puti; pure tablea, calamansi concentrate, and other health drinks. 

• HEALTH AND WELLNESS – organic soaps, facial creams, body lotions and moisturizers, shampoos and conditioners, and other beauty products; virgin coconut oil and herbal oils and balms; wild honey and bee propolis.

Come and do your shopping at the 2016 SikatPinoy National Trade Fair. You will not only find a unique gift that will surely be appreciated by friends and loved ones, you will also be contributing to national economic development and inclusive growth by supporting the Trabaho at Negosyo (Employment and Entrepreneurship) initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry.

For more information, contact the DTI-Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion at telephone no. 751-3223, fax no. 751-3224, or email bdtp@dti.gov.ph. Please “Like” the Facebook page www.facebook.com/sikatpinoyfairs for updates on Sikat Pinoy events.