The
Bicolano
Baron
From post-World War II dry goods store to
Bicol retail empire – what is next on the
horizon for the LCC Group of Companies?WORDS ADRIAN FLORES • IMAGES JASPER SALCEDAT
he journey to Bicol retail baron hasn’t been without
bumps along the way for Antonio S. Tan, Chairman
and CEO of the LCC Group of Companies. That
includes a disaster in 1977, when both family stores- the Tans’ main livelihood – burned to the ground,
causing Antonio’s father and founder, Tan Chu Lim,
anxiety and desperation for quite some time.
Not wanting to be caught in similar situations, Tony, strived to
earn a degree in Business Administration at Aquinas University (now
University of Santo Tomas – Legazpi), and eventually licensed as a
CPA. Motivated and appropriately skilled, he together with his
siblings rebuilt the business into a conglomerate of community malls,
as well as a range of department stores, supermarkets and food
outlets, spread throughout the Bicol region.
The CEO Magazine asked the retail conglomerate head why the
Bicolano people continue to remain close to his heart, what is ahead
for the family’s retail empire, and whether LCC will be seeking new
horizons beyond Bicol and across the archipelago nation. »
76 | theceomagazine.com
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