Pirelli to open one-stop shop in Cebu

Gerard U. Tan, general manager of Southgate Express Marketing Inc., (right) talks during the launching of the shop at the Oakridge Pavilion.
contributed

To keep up with the demand for performance tires in the Visayas and Mindanao, noted tire brand Pirelli will soon be opening a concept store and a one-stop shop in Cebu.

During the launching of the store held at the Oakridge Pavilion last January 27, Pirelli’s Aleksandar Gramatikov, Managing Director for Southeast Asia, said the shop, which will be handled by Southgate Express Marketing Inc., will give customers a different experience.

“We want to have a concept center that will [bring] tire changing to a different level,” he said.

The shop is part of the brand’s goal to make its presence felt in the country.

“The Philippines has been one of the fast growing economies in the Southeast Asia. For us, our presence here is very important.

We [have been here] in the Philippines for 15 years, but we were not that serious about it before since we saw that there was no market yet. But now, times are different,” he said.

According to Gramatikov, Cebu will play a big role in the brand’s success in the country.

“We believe that it is important to have a presence here in Cebu. As you can observe, there are a lot of luxury cars in the metro’s car parks. This is extremely important. It is one of our potential markets,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gerard U. Tan, general manager of Southgate Express Marketing Inc., expressed his gratitude for becoming Pirelli’s official distributor in the Visayas and Mindanao. He said Pirelli’s pricing will be competitive compared to local tier one tires.

“Pirelli is not just for formula one cars and high-end luxury vehicles. The demand for your car deserves no less than the car that races in Formula One,” he said.