Metro (department store)
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Native name
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美羅 |
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| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1953 in Surabaya, Indonesia 1991, reopened in Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Founder | Ong Tjoe Kim |
| Headquarters | Singapore, Singapore |
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Area served
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Singapore Indonesia |
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Key people
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Winston Choo Wee Leong (Chairman) Jopie Ong Hie Koan (Managing Director) Chairul Tanjung (Main Commissioner) |
| Owner | Metro Holdings Limited |
| Website |
Metro Singapore Metro Indonesia |
For The Philippines Based Retail Chain Metro Retail Stores Group Inc
Metro is a Singapore and Indonesia based chain department store selling cosmetics, apparel and fashion accessories. Founded by Ong Tjoe Kim in 1953, Metro currently has 13 outlets located across Singapore and Indonesia.
Metro’s founder Ong Tjoe Kim originally from Fujian, China, migrated to Indonesia when he was a teenager. He joined the Toko Dezon department store and worked his way up to a managerial position. In 1952, Ong decided to venture out on his own and eventually opened the first Metro store in 1953 in Surabaya, Indonesia. Ong chose the name, Metro, after his love for movies made by film studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Metro opened its first Singapore-based outlet in 1957, at the site that is now the Singapore Treasury Building, after Ong migrated from Indonesia to Singapore, pitching its business at the wealthy housewives of Indonesia and Singapore.
A department store was opened in Hong Kong in 1960. The first Metro branch under the name of Metrotex opened in Liat Towers on Orchard Road in 1965, being one of the first Singapore department stores to carry imported designer goods. The branch was renamed Metro Orchard when it moved into the Holiday Inn Shopping Complex on Scotts Road in 1973. Metro continued to expand and set up more branches including Metro Supreme in 1971, Metro Golden Mile in 1974, Metro Grand in Lucky Plaza in 1978 and Metro Scotts and Metro Far East in 1983. Other than carrying in overseas label, Metro delved into developing Singapore’s private label in fashion merchandise.
In January 2012, Metro Departement Store was brought back to Surabaya, Indonesia, where it was opened in Ciputra World Surabaya, after 60 years of founding.
Metro Pte Ltd was publicly listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange in 1973 as Metro Holdings Limited.
As the company started to expand, Metro Holdings began to look towards diversifying its interests and expanding beyond retailing. In 1977, the company acquired Orchard Square Development Corporation Private Limited, the joint developer for Ngee Ann City and set up Metrobilt Pte Ltd, expanding its business into construction and building. In the same year, the company opened Futaba Bakery in the supermarket of Metro Golden Mile in a joint venture with Futaba Bakery Co Ltd, Japan. The company continued to diversify its business by buying into Datalogue (S) Pte Ltd, a company dealing in computer software. Metro Holdings also ventured into credit leasing business when it bought into Trans-Pacific Credit Pte Ltd in 1982. Metro Holdings also co-founded luxury brand retailer chain, The Hour Glass in 1979. The company also started a subsidiary company, Transmarco in 1978 as a distribution marketing company for luxury brands.
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Wikipedia