Gaisanos make it big – from retail to real estate

For many decades, the Gaisano family name has been synonymous to pioneering retail business, specifically in the Visayas and in Mindanao.

Since they established their first department store and supermarket in 1982 in Cebu, the Gaisanos have become a dominant force in retail in the region. Incorporated in 1981, the Metro Group was established by Victor Gaisano and wife Sally as a continuation of the vision of Victor’s mother, Doña Modesta Gaisano, who established White Gold Department Store in 1949.

In recent years, the family’s flagship retail brand Metro Department Store has made its way to Metro Manila with 16 locations in Alabang, Fort Bonifacio, Imus and Binondo through partnerships with Ay al a Land and o the r developers.

However, unknown to many outside of Cebu, Metro’s parent company, Vicsal Development Corp., has also been making major headway in other business ventures, among them stock brokerage, travel agency, banking, and financial services. One other family venture that is endearing itself to the Cebuanos is Taft Properties, a real estate development company established in 1997 with the vision of providing trust and care to property buyers, the very same values the Gaisano conglomerate was founded on.

Ironically, the Gaisanos have always been adamant against expansion. In spite of its success and reach, Vicsal Development Corp. remains a family business.

“Metro’s story is our story. In running Metro, we’ve always drawn from the wisdom of our mother. Everything she taught us, we’ve applied on the company,” said Jack Gaisano, chairman and chief executive officer of Taft Properties.

Running a real estate company in comparison with retail has its own set of challenges. The Gaisanos have chosen to apply what they have learned with Metro to solve these issues.

“We want to be able to translate Metro’s success to Taft Properties, and we think the best way to do that is to glean from what we’ve established with Metro, our strong points, and apply it to Taft,” explains Gaisano. “Real estate and retail may seem like very unrelated fields, but come to think of it, both are about providing customers comfort, whether it’s the comfort of having a home or the things that make lives comfortable. Whatever we did with Metro is applicable to Taft.”

Taft Properties’ focus on comfort is best displayed in their MicroTownship business concept. Envisioned as a place where families can work towards their goals in life with as much support as possible close by, Microtownships feature lush greenery and open spaces where property buyers can converge or meet.

“A Taft Properties Microtownship is more than a roof over one’s head. We provide people with the necessary spaces to meet and amenities so that they need not leave the comforts of their homes, especially now that the traffic situation in Cebu is worsening,” said Cris Narciso, Taft Properties chief operating officer.

The Microtownship concept is also the first time a transitoriented development was established in Cebu.

“Public transportation is becoming more and more important in Cebu, so it was important that we focus on transit-oriented properties. We want to, as much as we can, help buyers evade the hassles of commuting or waiting,” Narciso added.

Already, Taft Properties has made its mark on the Cebu skyline and in the lives of Cebuano families as a provider of quality homes.

The company has various premium developments for all types of families and individual property buyers, among them, Horizon 101, now the tallest building outside Metro Manila, with 55 stories for Tower 1, and 46 stories for Tower 2; Soltana Nature Residences in Mactan which features themed gardens and a lush orchard forest; and Taft East Gate, a compact vertical city which is a stone’s throw away from the Cebu Business Park and combines convenience and lifestyle.

Taft Properties is also behind breakthrough offerings in the mid-rise condominium category such as Symfoni Nichols in Guadalupe, Cebu City; and two that are outside of Cebu — Symfoni Kamias in Quezon City; and Citation Residences in Biñan, Laguna.