Rustan’s Zenaida ‘Nedy’ Tantoco, 77
RUSTAN Commercial Corp., SSI Group, Inc., and Rustan Marketing Corporation Chair Zenaida Tantoco (“ZRT” to Rustan’s and SSI staffers; “Nedy” to friends, family, and the society pages) passed away on Feb. 8, 2024. The death was confirmed through a statement sent out by the Tantoco family through Viber.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Zenaida ‘Nedy’ R. Tantoco. The retailer, philanthropist, patroness of the arts, loving mother, and grandmother passed away last night, Feb. 8, 2024, at 11:42 p.m. She was 77 years old,” said the statement.
Ms. Tantoco would have been about five years old when her parents founded their retail empire in 1952 from their house in San Marcelino, Manila. Her parents were entrepreneurs Bienvenido Tantoco, Sr. (who would be appointed Ambassador to the Vatican in 1983) and Gliceria Rustia Tantoco, a close associate of former First Lady Imelda Marcos. While her father passed away in 2021 at the age of 100, her mother had died much earlier in 1994.
The senior Tantoco couple changed the face of Philippine retail by bringing in some of the world’s most prestigious brands to the country through their department store chain, Rustan’s. Their operations in franchising, licensing, and distribution expanded through sister company, Stores Specialists Inc. (SSI), founded in the 1980s. While some brands may have changed distribution channels in the Philippines through the years, the brands brought in by the Tantoco family
have included Salvatore Ferragamo, Cartier, Bottega Veneta, Charriol, Oleg Cassini, Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Loewe, Prada, Burberry, Montblanc, Tiffany & Co., and Hermès; among others.
Nedy Tantoco, even as a young woman, was already known for her style, dressed by the best designers here and abroad. With a reputation as an arbiter of taste, it seemed natural for Ms. Tantoco to ascend to her parents’ place to head the Rustan Group. Well into her 70s, Ms. Tantoco still cut a striking figure at Rustan’s events, usually in Ferragamo pumps.
Aside from her work as chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of the family business, Ms. Tantoco participated in society and patronized the arts, with a special interest in opera.
“The CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines) and the art community in general grieves the loss of a strong ally in pursuing cultural endeavors and promoting artistic excellence. May her soul rest in peace and rise in glory,” said the CCP in a statement honoring its former longtime trustee. Ms. Tantoco had been part of the CCP Board of Trustees from 2002 until her resignation in 2021. —