Rustan's
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Gliceria Tantoco
 | |
.jpg) Rustan's at Ayala Center, Makati in April 2015 | |
| Company type | Corporation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1952 in Manila, Philippines |
| Founder | Benny Rufino Tantoco Gliceria Tantoco |
| Headquarters | Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, cosmetics, housewares, children's wear, toys, supermarket |
Number of employees | 30,000 (nationwide) (2009) |
| Parent | Rustan Commercial Corporation |
| Website | rustans |
Rustan's is a Philippine chain of upmarket department stores owned by the Rustan Group of Companies (RGOC). Rustan's Department Store is the flagship brand of the Rustan Group of Companies and has five major branches, three boutiques and an online shopping store rustans.com. Rustan's Department Store is considered the Philippines most prestigious retailer, carrying many of the world's most famous upscale or luxury brand names, among them, Cartier, Mikimoto, Tiffany, Ermenegildo Zegna, Nina Ricci, Alfred Dunhill, Sonia Rykiel, and Estee Lauder. Rustan's was the first in the Philippine retailer to introduce a customer loyalty program, "Frequent Shoppers Plus" and a Wedding Registry.
The brand was also applied to a chain of supermarkets (Rustan's Supermarkets, 1970–2020) founded by the Rustan Group in 1970 which it owned until its divestment in 2017.[1]
Early years
Rustan's Department Store was established in 1952 by spouses, Benny Rufino Tantoco and Gliceria (née Rustia) Tantoco.[2][3] Rustan's is a portmanteau of the couple's respective family names. Following a trip by the couple to Europe, Rustan's Department Store began as a set of goods displayed for sale in the couple's living room. Eventually, the Tantocos expanded the business to a small gift shop located along San Marcelino Street, Manila. In the following decade, it grew into a full-fledged department store.[4]
By the 1960s, Rustan's successfully introduced several international and haute couture brands to the Philippines for the first time, including Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior. By 1970, the flagship store opened in Makati and the building became well known for its blue external tile work for many decades and was sometimes referred to as the "Jewel box."[5] More brands followed including Lacoste, Lanvin, Gucci, and others.
To facilitate this growth, Rustan Marketing Corporation was established in 1964 to introduce brands to the store and also undertake nationwide distribution of renowned brands. Today, this continues with a diversified portfolio of brands within beauty and personal care, apparel, watches, luggage, footwear, accessories, home, and lifestyle products.[6]
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By 1973, it opened a second major store in Cubao, Quezon City and a third at Mango Square, Cebu City in 1981.
1978 elections; Tantocos' legal issues
During the 1978 elections for the Interim Batasang Pambansa, the Rustan's department store in Manila was claimed by Fr. James Reuter, a Jesuit priest and writer, to have required its employees to register for the elections within the store itself, then later vote for KBL candidates in the same venue as well, lest they lose their employment.[7][8]
Due to alleged ties with President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda Marcos, several legal cases were filed against Rustan's owners Benny and Gliceria Tantoco after the Marcos couple were ousted in February 1986 during the People Power Revolution.[9][10] On October 21, 1988, U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani indicted the Tantoco couple, alongside Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, for conspiring to "embezzle[...] certain Philippine government funds."[11][12] In 1996, Benny Tantoco settled a lawsuit for $1 million over the ownership of the Marcos couple's house in Honolulu, Hawaii.[13] The Tantoco couple's cases would only end in 2023 when the Supreme Court affirmed the Sandiganbayan's 2019 dismissal of their 1987 embezzlement case.[14]
Further growth
During the 1990s, Rustan's grew to include a large store in upscale Shangri-la Plaza in Mandaluyong and another branch in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa and at Ayala Center Cebu in Cebu City.[15]
In parallel, the Tantoco family's reputation as leading retailers continued to grow as the couple's six children became involved in the daily business. In 1987, Stores Specialists Inc began operations to focus on the Philippine franchises for many of the world's top brands. The brand portfolio consists of over 100 brands and over 600 stores; brands include Marks & Spencer, TWG Tea, The Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Zara, Tory Burch, and Calvin Klein. Stores Specialists Inc. (SSI) is a publicly listed company in the Philippine Stock Exchange.[16][17]
Other major businesses within the Rustan Group of Companies (RGOC) include Rustan Coffee which was one of the earliest operators of Starbucks outside the United States, Royal Duty Free Stores, ADORA – a luxury boutique department store, Santa Elena Realty Inc., and The Rustia-Tantoco Foundation.
The Tantoco couple's six children have been involved in different areas of the business over the years. Today, the chairman is the eldest daughter Zenaida R. Tantoco, while the president is the eldest grandson Bienvenido V. Tantoco III.[18]
