IDEAL SPOT FOR LOCAL PRODUCTS
The Department of Trade and Industry 7 hopes to introduce the Go Local store concept at the new terminal of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
Airports are a good marketing avenue for Cebuano products to gain market access and exposure.
This is why the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7 is eyeing a spot at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport’s (MCIA) soon-to-be-completed Terminal 2.
“We want ‘ Go Local’ shops to be visible at the airport, aside from malls,” said DTI 7 Director Asteria Caberte.
The DTI regional chief is planning to meet with the top officials of GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., the private firm managing the operations of MCIA, to present the Go Local store concept.
“DTI, at present, is firming up the guidelines,” said Caberte.
MCIA’s Terminal 2 is scheduled to open in June 2018. It can accomodate 12.5 million passengers, a captured market for the Go Local products.
The new terminal, spanning 65,500 square meters, promises an exciting and wide-ranging retail environment.
Conceptualized by Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Go Local stores, according to the agency, are not about the usual souvenir items that are available almost anywhere but top and high quality regional products like fashion accessories, clothes made from locally sourced materials, homes decor and gift items for domestic and foreign buyers.
“We will feature the best of Cebu products,” said Caberte.
Ready suppliers
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, in past interviews, has said the agency will “mainstream the best of small and medium enterprises (SME) products” by making these accessible and available at reasonable prices in major malls in the country through the Go Local store concept.
DTI has a list of 900 MSME manufacturers out of close to 20,000 MSMEs, which can supply the Go Local stores with their products.
Caberte hopes that Go Local shops will be opened in major shopping malls in Cebu within the year, although a series of talks with the country’s giant retail chains have been ongoing since last year.
DTI targets to set up at least one store each for Manila, Cebu and Davao within the year.