Busaba keeps up central traditions

Busaba Chirathivat, right, understands that everything in Thailand is built around relationships, which is now an area of focus for her. Continuing with that belief, the Central Retail group is focused on contributing to society in various ways.

Like many ordinary Thais, the Chirathivat family bought a piggy bank for their children. Busaba Chirathivat had learnt to make savings of her own in the piggy bank since she was in primary school. When wishing to make a significant purchase, Busaba had to pay half the amount and her parents would contribute the other half.

"Because in retail [businesses], we must be frugal. Everything adds to the cost. Our family is not superfluous. My mum had taught me to use things for a long time," Busaba said. Today, she is the senior vice president of Central Retail, the flagship company of Central group.

Busaba said that when she was starting her career as a promotional officer at the Hyatt Central Plaza Hotel, now known as Sofitel Centara Grand Bangkok Hotel, she received a few thousand baht as her monthly salary, but never used it all up.

Busaba was also brought up to be meticulous. Quite often, the retailers who opened their shops at a Central store did not realise that Busaba would notice the small things - such as a cloth hanger that was not hanging the cloth neatly, or a cloth hanging too high, or a shirt that was not going well with a skirt, for instance. Busaba would not wait long to tell the shops to make the necessary corrections.

"I would ask them to change immediately because in the retail business, the work is never complete," she said.

Working hard and being patient are also the qualities Busaba's parents nurtured in her. She is the eldest daughter of Tiang, the founder of Central, and Vipa Chirathivat.

First major challenge: After spending five years, the first part of her career, with the group's hotel business, Busaba shifted to the Zen Department Store to become the first-ever female executive to handle merchandising for a Central store. Perhaps, as some retailers have said, "retailing is in her blood". Busaba successfully built Zen into a "yuppies" store, which went down well with the tastes of the emerging generation of the time.

After about 10 years, Busaba was moved up to be responsible for merchandising for the ladies' division of the group's flagship, Central Department Stores, while maintaining her responsibilities in merchandising and taking care of the overall operations at Zen.

"We rarely [give] compliments to each other. If one does a good job, he or she is rewarded by being given more work," Busaba said of her family's style of working. But she was all smiles as she said, "I do enjoy it."

'Speed' and 'right timing': Busaba is passionate about retail business because of its high dynamism. Retailers, she said, need to adapt fast - even faster than consumers.

"We must always be changing, and changing faster than consumers, as we must set the trend for them."

Besides having an eye for detail, Busaba believes speed is of importance to retailers. But "right timing" is no less significant.

sFor example, Busaba says, elsewhere golden colour has emerged as a new trend in women's shoes since last year, but in Thailand, silver has remained popular.

"It may take years before the golden colour is trendy here. Fashion is an adjustment of the eyes," she said.

Present challenges and responsibilities: Since late 2006, Busaba has been Central Retail's senior vice president corporate communications - taking care of all business units, including Central, Zen, Robinson, B2S, Power Buy, Supersports, homeWorks, among others. Besides corporate communications, Busaba is in charge of supplier relations and corporate social responsibility.

Like in her previous assignments, Busaba is rebuilding many things from ground-up, as these are relatively new areas for the Central group. Even for herself, it is a big challenge, considering there has been a "role reversal".

While earlier she was a merchandiser to whom suppliers would come to sell their goods at the Central stores, she has now grown into someone whose goal is to assist the suppliers in getting the maximum satisfaction out of their businesses.

"It took me a lot of time to think [whether to accept the new job]. My advantage was that I had thoroughly understood the organisation and its systems,[and knew] the shops. I did not have to begin from zero.

"The family knew well it was a 'reversal' of myself. I had been focused mainly on work and was not quite keen on [socialising with] people."

A Central Retail executive said Busaba "fills up a gap" between the group's management and the suppliers who in the past may have felt that the Central executives were not easily approachable.

Citing her own experience, Busaba said it was not as if the Central executives disliked conversing with suppliers, but just that they were busy with their main business functions.

The Central Retail group, she said, has now recognised how crucial its relationships with suppliers are.

"Because in Thailand, everything is relationships," she said.

Busaba said her goals and ambition include having the Central brand close to the heart of every Thai consumer, keeping the businesses continuing as part of the Thai society, and all this while growing it to become a leader in the Southeast Asia region.

"And Central [works] to [give] back to its employees and the Thai society," she said.

Recently, Central became the first major retailer in Thailand to grant extra pay to its employees, helping them cope with rising costs of living.

      At a glance

busaba timeline:

n Started her career as a promotional officer at the formerly Hyatt Central Plaza Hotel, now known as Sofitel Centara Grand Bangkok Hotel.

n After five years in the group's hotel business, was shifted to Zen Department Store.

n After 10 years, moved to Central Department Stores, group's flagship.

n Since 2006, has been senior vice president corporate communications for Central Retail.