ed help. This has largely shaped who we are as a business today,” Liu, president and CEO of Golden ABC, said at the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Big Show Asia Pacific in Singapore. From that beginning, Golden ABC has evolved into one of the region’s most quietly influential retail groups, with six brands under its belt – Penshoppe, OXGN, Memo, Regatta, Forme and Bocu – and a network of more than 1000 stores across Asia. A playbook written from scratch While Asia has become increasingly crowded with global giants like Zara, Uniqlo and H&M, Golden ABC has taken a different path. Instead of importing brand playbooks, the company has developed its own. It doesn’t try to out-spend or out-scale the competition. It focused on speed, local relevance and operational frugality. “I always tell the team: we spend a million where we need to spend it, but if we don’t have to spend a peso, don’t spend it. That’s the mindset that we want everybody in the organisation to embrace,” Liu said.  Golden ABC was releasing monthly collections before that even became the norm.  “We wanted to create brands that serve the diverse Philippine market and democratise fashion,” she said. “We believe you don’t have to spend a lot of money to look good, and we’ve tried to share that philosophy. Brand building has allowed us to craft our own strong, distinctive brands.” Rather than relying on outside creative agencies, the company built its own. Inside Golden ABC’s headquarters is a 1000-square-meter content studio where teams conceptualise and shoot campaigns in a matter of days. That in-house control means it can respond to trends almost instantly, without sacrificing brand identity or drowning in layers of approvals. “This allows us to roll out marketing campaigns in a matter of days. We likewise create and shoot our own content, cutting the turnaround time it takes to capitalise on a trending product or style that our brands want to be part of,” she shared.  Private, but professional Golden ABC is still a family business, but not in the traditional sense. Liu and her leadership team have spent the last few decades professionalising its culture, introducing governance structures, performance metrics and transparency practices that rival any listed company. “We wanted to create something sustainable and professionally run to attract top talent. The first step was establishing transparency all the way to the bottom line so we could work together to achieve results,” she said.  One pivotal moment came in the early ’90s when a consultant asked: “Do your employees know the company’s bottom line?” They didn’t. Like most private companies at the time, only the top executives saw net profits. That changed almost overnight.  “We went back to the team and, for the first time, showed them the company’s bottom line. I would say many of them were shocked. They had thought the company was much more profitable all those years, and they were embarrassed to discover the reality,” she recalled.  That transparency built trust. It also laid the foundation for a culture that values merit over hierarchy. Today, even family members looking to join the company must meet three conditions: they must be willing, capable and fully available. “Leadership isn’t inherited,” Liu says. “It’s earned.” It’s an ethos that’s helped the company attract and retain talent in a fiercely competitive industry.  Learning, on repeat If there’s one phrase Liu returns to repeatedly, it’s this: Golden ABC is a “learning organisation.” From Lean Six Sigma certifications to company-wide book clubs, the retailer invests heavily in upskilling its workforce. Every manager is expected to submit one-page book reports on selected readings, followed by small-group discussions to reflect on what can be applied in practice. “It wasn’t easy, but I think many people are beginning to reset their thinking and develop that growth mindset focused on efficiency,” she said.  And it’s not just hard skills the company is interested in. Weekly Mass is held in the office’s oratory. Engagement programs for young employees are designed not just for fun, but to foster psychological safety and creative expression. This attention to culture-building pays dividends. The average age of Golden ABC’s workforce is notably young. More importantly, Liu believes it creates an internal feedback loop between market awareness and company decision-making.  And while the business is growing, Liu is adamant that scale is not the ultimate goal. The purpose is. “Retail can be a challenging industry to navigate. It’s fast, disruptive, and sometimes even thankless. But at Golden ABC, we do it because we believe in something bigger. We want to be an organisation with high energy but low ego. We strive to be conscious and constantly learn new things,” she concluded.  Further reading: How Royal Selangor balances 140 years of legacy with global relevance.