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Published on September 13, 2007

 Apart from her three years studying and working abroad, Yuwadee Chirathivat - the president of Central Department Stores - has never been away from Bangkok's Chidlom area, where the family's flagship mall is located.

She's no workaholic, but it's clear enough that Yuwadee has adopted the lifestyle of a retail businessperson, along with all the attendant duties. And everything - work, play and family - happens in Chidlom, where she also went through primary and high school at Mater Dei.

After working five days a week 9 to 7 in her office behind Central Chidlom, Yuwadee spends her weekends in the vicinity too.

"Sometimes I come and get my hair and nails done and often I come for a massage," she says.

Her Chidlom empire, of course, isn't just a department store - it's got fine dining, spas, hair salons and skincare clinics as well.

Yuwadee's haunting of the neighbourhood doesn't escape the notice of her children. "They ask me sarcastically if I don't get enough of my workplace," she laughs.

With her looks you'd think she was talking about youngsters, but the youngest of her three children is 20 and the eldest 25.

Perhaps the secret of her youthfulness is that she enjoys her work so much. There's a very thin line between her work and leisure time, and it's not uncommon for her to mingle with business partners during off-hours. Where? At Central Chidlom, of course.

Yuwadee is currently helping out at the Central International Watch 2007 fair, which is continuing until next Tuesday.

"It makes customers happy to have her at a sales booth, and she enjoys it too," says Siriyos Devahasdin na Ayudhya, the company's director of public relations.

"I'm happy as long as my customers are happy," Yuwadee adds.

That's easier said than done, but Yuwadee has been learning the art of customer relations since she was a little girl, watching her late father Samrit, who founded the firm 60 years ago.

Like him, she wants the stores functioning flawlessly before their grand openings, and to that end she'll be there on the eve of the opening until nearly dawn getting things right. After a couple of hours' sleep, she'll be back at the store to greet the first customer.

There has never been an exception at any of Central's 15 branches.

Witnessing her father's uphill battle when he pioneered large-scale retailing with Central Ladprao was, needless to say, memorable for Yuwadee.

"Others would have called it quits, but my dad wanted to turn an ambitious plan into reality."

There was a lot of doubt at the time about a Bt2-billion commercial complex with a convention centre and hotel alongside its shops. It was in the middle of nowhere, and more than one observer predicted its quick demise.

Central Ladprao survived and thrived - and became Yuwadee's training ground. Her education there was worth more than any degree. She helped her father take care of the tenants and even opened a boutique with her siblings.

"We just wanted to fill up the space, so we set up 20 Plus - you may remember the brand!"

Yuwadee's initial nurturing at Central was taken up by the New York office of Ogilvy & Mather, where she spent two years before coming home to join O&M Thailand and handling blue-chip clients like Johnson & Johnson and the Oriental Hotel.

"My dad supported my decision to work elsewhere, and I wanted to start somewhere where I was an equal and could get some criticism that would be beneficial."

She did learn a lot, and then joined the family firm in 1981. She's been the president since 1996.

Central keeps expanding, so Yuwadee's work never ends. If no new branch is opening, she's improving the existing ones. That means staying in step with the latest trends, and that means, in the most recent developments, the opening of Zeen Zone for teenagers - a move of which Yuwadee is quite proud - and a valet-parking service.

Next month will be even busier than usual as Central celebrates its 60th anniversary - six decades since her father turned a newsstand into what would swiftly become a retail colossus.

It's already been an action-packed year for Yuwadee. She's concocted a series of major promotional events, and at the heart of the campaign is a message of thanks to all the customers and business partners.

She speaks enthusiastically about the upcoming celebration. Her goal is to maintain the malls' reputation as the best places to shop - with the best products and service and the greatest variety.

Neither surveys nor surveillance are needed when it comes to measuring customer satisfaction: Yuwadee is always there among them - and usually she's shopping too.

Veena Thoopkrajae

 The Nation