Central Department Store ( Thai : สรรพสินค้าเซ็นทรัล ; Chinese : 尚泰 ; Pinyin : Shàngtài) is a Thai department store chain, owned by Central Group . It has branches in Thailand and Indonesia, and is also a Royal Warrant holder of the Thai Royal Family .
7-461: In 1927, 22-year-old Tiang Chirathivat , an immigrant from mainland China, started a store in Bangkok named "Keng Seng Lee" or "baskets for sale", which was the start of an emporium. Later that year, the store moved to Charoen Krung Road, in Bangkok 's Si Phraya District. The store sold a large variety of local and international newspapers and magazines and carried the name "Central Trading Store". This
14-481: A "lifestyle" concept, following the renaming of Zen , Central's lifestyle trend megastore brand, into Central. The CentralWorld branch will serve as the prototype of Central's new concept. For the first phase, Central Chidlom and two Central stores in CentralPlaza Ladprao and CentralPlaza Rama II will be renovated in 2020. After Robinson Department Store was merged into Central, it was transferred to be under
21-556: A total of 5,000 outlets. The Chirathivat family bought the upscale Italian department store chain, La Rinascente , for a reputed US$ 291 million. The purchase was announced in May 2011 by Tos Chirathivat , a Central Group executive. In 2020, the Central Group announced the purchase of the Swiss luxury department store Globus alongside other assets for more than US$ 1 billion in a joint venture with
28-681: The Central Lad Ya Branch opened its doors and was the largest of its kind then. Later in 1983 Central Ladprao opened its doors and was the largest shopping mall in Thailand at that time. On 20 December 2005, King Bhumibol Adulyadej conferred on the company a Royal Warrant for its services, meaning they could display the royal Garuda emblem. By 2010 Central operated 15 stores in Thailand and planned to open more. In 2019, Central announced that it plans to spend at least 10 billion baht between 2020 and 2024 to renovate 20 of its stores into
35-464: The management of Central Department Store. Chirathivat family The Chirathivat family ( Thai : จิราธิวัฒน์ , pronounced [tɕìrāːtʰíwát] ) is a Thai family of Chinese descent . The family was headed by Tiang Chirathivat ( simplified Chinese : 郑心平 ; traditional Chinese : 鄭心平 ; pinyin : Zhèng Xīnpíng ; 1905–1968), who migrated to Siam from Hainan and settled in Bangkok in 1927. Tiang's original Chinese surname
42-454: Was Cheng . He had 26 children with three wives that resulted in roughly 220 descendants today. Fifty-one are currently involved in the business. His descendants jointly own and manage the Central Group , and are ranked third on Forbes ' list of Thailand's fifty richest. The Central Group owns more than 60 department stores and shopping malls. It also operates hotels and restaurants, with
49-510: Was the first chapter of Central Department Stores' history. In the 1950s, the company grew with more and more stores selling different items. It was one few stores in Bangkok that had the courage to order imported goods for sale and was the first to set up merchandising displays. In 1973, the Chidlom store opened under the new "one stop shopping" concept. Here, customers could come to Central and buy everything they needed under one roof. In 1981,
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