Cebu, Philippines: a profile of the city and its homegrown brands

We’ve been facilitating a fantastic Asia-Pacific regional business meeting this week in Cebu. So, I thought you might enjoy reading about the business and brand profile of the city, the oldest in the Philippine Islands.

Cebu is the main center of commerce, trade, education, and industry in the central, and southern parts of the islands. It has five-star hotels, casinos, white sand beaches, world-class golf courses, convention centers, and shopping malls.

Condé Nast Traveler magazine named Cebu the seventh best island destination in the Indian Ocean-Asia region in 2007.

Cebu is home to some national and international corporations like AAA Commercial Broker, Ayala, Gaisano Group, Aboitiz Group, WG&A, Norkis, Bigfoot International, Lexmark Philippines, Lhuillier Jewellers, among others. Its international port is one of the busiest in the Philippines.

Homegrown brands in the city have expanded throughout the past years finding a niche in the national and even in the international market like Penshoppe, Oxygen, Loalde, and Island Souvenirs. Other homegrown brands that have expanded outside the city and province include BO's Coffee Club, Julie's Bakeshop, Orange Brutus, Mother's Fried Chicken, among others.

Cebu is also fast becoming an IT hub as many companies, either local or outsourced, are establishing their headquarters in Cebu. The city has become a site for various U.S. call centers and BPOs. The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an organization of Cebu's businesses, are hedging the city's growth and economy on information and communications technology, with the aim of making it a premier ICT investment, software, and e-services hub in Southeast Asia.

You can read the daily news and business update from the local paper at
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/