Central Group is a Thai multinational conglomerate consisting of subsidiaries in retail, property development, brand management, hospitality, and food and beverage sectors.
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| Company type | Family-owned holding company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail, Property development, Brand management, Hospitality, Food and beverage, Digital lifestyle |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Founder | Tiang Chirathivat, Samrit Chirathivat |
| Headquarters | Bangkok, Thailand |
Area served | Asia Indonesia Japan Malaysia Maldives Sri Lanka Thailand Vietnam Europe Denmark Germany Ireland Italy Netherlands Switzerland United Kingdom |
Key people | Tos Chirathivat, Executive Chairman and CEO |
| Products | Shopping centers, department stores, restaurants, hotels. |
Number of employees | 80,000[1] |
| Subsidiaries | Central Pattana PLC (SET: CPN) Central Plaza Hotel PLC (SET: CENTEL) Central Retail Corporation PLC (SET: CRC) |
| Website | CentralGroup.com |
History
Founder Tiang emigrated from Hainan Island to Bangkok in 1925. He set up his first shop in the Thon Buri 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 Central Department Store, the biggest department store in Thailand at that time, in Wang Burapa district, 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 1983. Besides expansion through physical presence in the Bangkok retail space, Central Group has in recent years built an online presence among ASEAN e-tailers and a strong presence of luxury department store collection in Europe.
Key business line
Malls and commercial properties
Central Group has substantial operations in developing Thai retail and commercial properties, and currently holds the largest market share of net leasable area in Thailand. Besides retail, Central Group has also developed offices, co-working spaces and residential projects.
| Name | Opening | Total Project
GFA |
Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Ladprao | December, 1982 | 310,000 | Bangkok |
| Central Ramindra | November, 1993 | 86,000 | Bangkok |
| Central Pinklao | March, 1995 | 370,000 | Bangkok |
| Central Marina | July, 1995[3] | 70,000 | Pattaya |
| Central Chiangmai Airport | March, 1996 | 250,000 | Chiang Mai |
| Central Rama III | October, 1997 | 188,000 | Bangkok |
| Central Bangna | December, 2001 | 500,000 | Bangkok |
| Central Rama II | December, 2002 | 273,000 | Bangkok |
| CentralWorld | December, 2002 | 830,000 | Bangkok |
| Central Rattanathibet | December, 2003 | 140,000 | Nonthaburi |
| Central Chaengwattana | November, 2008 | 310,000 | Nonthaburi |
| Central Pattaya | January, 2009 | 210,000 | Pattaya |
| Central Udon | April, 2009 | 250,000 | Udon Thani |
| Central Chonburi | May, 2009 | 156,000 | Chonburi |
| Central Khonkaen | December, 2009 | 200,000 | Khon Kaen |
| Central Chiangrai | March, 2011 | 110,000 | Chiang Rai |
| Central Phitsanulok | October, 2011 | 100,000 | Phitsanulok |
| Central Rama IX | December, 2011 | 214,000 | Bangkok |
| Central Suratthani | October, 2012 | 130,000 | Surat Thani |
| Central Lampang | November, 2012 | 110,000 | Lampang |
| Central Ubon | April, 2013 | 186,284 | Ubon Ratchathani |
| Central Chiangmai | November, 2013 | 260,000 | Chiang Mai |
| Central Hatyai | December, 2013 | 295,000 | Songkhla |
| Central Samui | March, 2014 | 76,000 | Ko Samui |
| Central Embassy (Mixed Use Development) | May, 2014 | 1,000,000+ | Bangkok |
| Central Salaya | August, 2014 | 185,500 | Nakhon Pathom |
| Central Rayong | May, 2015 | 155,000 | Rayong |
| Central WestGate | August, 2015 | 352,000 | Nonthaburi |
| Central EastVille | October, 2015 | 90,000 | Bangkok |
| Central Nakhon Si | July, 2016 | 125,000 | Nakhon Si Thammarat |
| Central Korat | November, 2017 | 233,000 | Nakhon Ratchasima |
| Central Mahachai | November, 2017 | 131,250 | Samut Sakhon |
| Central Phuket – Floresta | September, 2018 | 300,000 | Phuket |
| Central i-City[lower-alpha 1] | March, 2019 | 259,000[4] | Shah Alam, Malaysia |
| Central Village Luxury Outlet | August, 2019 | 80,000 | Samut Prakan |
| Central Si Racha | October, 2021 | 140,000 | Chonburi |
| Central Ayutthaya | November, 2021 | 160,000 | Ayutthaya |
| Central Chanthaburi | May, 2022 | 92,000 | Chanthaburi |
| Central WestVille | November, 2023 | 93,000 | Nonthaburi |
| Central Nakhon Sawan | January, 2024 | 133,300 | Nakhon Sawan |
| Central Nakhon Pathom | March, 2024 | 126,000 | Nakhon Pathom |
| Central Krabi | 2025 | 46,500 | Krabi |
Retail and brands
Retail & Brands is Central Group’s most significant business with investments in Europe and Asia.
Fashion: Department stores, lifestyle centers, lifestyle & fashion brands
Hardline: Home décor & construction, electronics, office supplies, books & stationery
Food: Supermarkets and convenience stores
| Chains | Country | Branches | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Department Store | Thailand | 22 (In 2019, Zen Department Store was rebranded as Central[5]) | ||
| 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.)[6] | |||
| Robinson Department Store (Robins in Vietnam) | Thailand | 50[7] | ||
| Vietnam | 2 | |||
| La Rinascente | Italy | 9 | ||
| Illum[lower-alpha 1] | Denmark | 1 (Copenhagen) | ||
| Alsterhaus | Germany | 1 (Hamburg) | ||
| KaDeWe | 1 (Berlin) | |||
| Oberpollinger | 1 (Munich) | |||
| Globus[lower-alpha 1] | Switzerland | Central Hotel Zurich[lower-alpha 1] | Switzerland | 7 |
| Selfridges[lower-alpha 1] | England | 4 | ||
| Brown Thomas[lower-alpha 1] | Ireland | 5 (6 including BT2 Blanchardstown) | ||
| Arnotts[lower-alpha 1] | 1 (Dublin) | |||
| De Bijenkorf[lower-alpha 1] | Netherlands | 7 |
- In partnership with Signa Holding
Hospitality
Central Group owns and manages visitor accommodation at all major Thai tourist destinations and around the world under own banners as well as international brands. Hotels cover every segment from luxury to economy. Central’s own brands comprise Centara Reserve, Centara Grand, Centara Boutique Collection, Centara, Centra by Centara and Cosi, while internationally-branded hotels include Park Hyatt Bangkok and Hilton Pattaya. In Japan, Central Group is a co-investor in StayFactory Hotel Group, whose brands include Hotel Hillarys, Hotel Relief, and Hotel Stork. In Switzerland, Central Group has also comprised Central Hotel Zurich company and Globus supermarket.
Central Group has also pioneered restaurant chains in Thailand, and operates well-known local, regional, and international food brands such as Mister Donut, KFC, Auntie Anne’s, Pepper Lunch, Chabuton, The Terrace, Yoshinoya, Ootoya, Tenya, Katsuya and Fezt.[8]
Financial Services & FinTech
One of Central Group's aspirations towards the New Central New Economy strategy is to create convenience for both merchants and consumers with financial services and Fintech, with the ultimate goal of a cashless society in Thailand.
Financial Services & Fintech categories:
Credit : The1 credit card, sales finance, personal loans
Payment : gift cards, e-payments, e-wallets
Insurance brokerage : motor, health, personal accident, property & casualty, group life [9]
See also
- Big C
- Chirathivat family
- Robinson Department Store
- Tops Supermarket, grocery chain owned by Central
References
External links
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