Retail

Incorporated in 1981, Metro opened its first department store and supermarket in 1982. Its inception was through the vision of the late Sir Victor Gaisano, a seasoned retailer and one of the revered members of the Gaisano family.

The Gaisanos owned and managed the former White Gold Department Store, the first department store and supermarket business in Cebu. White Gold lasted for 30 years and became the largest of its kind since its establishment in 1949. With the help of his wife, Sally Gaisano, and four children — Margaret, Jack, Edward and Frank, Victor Gaisano envisioned a department store and supermarket that will offer quality and a variety of merchandise in a friendly atmosphere and at prices that are highly competitive and reasonable.

Metro’s business operations were shaped and influenced by the combined experiences of the Gaisano family in the retail industry. It has an aggressive advertising and promotion strategy which calls for constant visibility in print, radio and television throughout the years. It enjoys the patronage of all types of customers and is the leading retail store in Cebu.

Metro’s vision is to become a world-class retail store and enjoy the process of attaining it. Its mission is to provide quality environment, quality service, and to be responsive to customers’ needs in the highest current standard. Metro was built firmly on the philosophy of customer centeredness.

Today, Metro is known for its comfortable and friendly outlets that offer a wide assortment of fresh and quality products at reasonable prices. Their retail activities typically range from supermarket operations, department store operations, appliances, fine jewelry, pharmacy, fast food outlets, bakeshops, coffee shops, photocopying, framing, embroidery and gift wrapping services.

Through a series of expansions and partnerships with Ayala Land Inc. and other major developers, it now operates 16 retail outlets, located in the city of Cebu with two, Mandaue City, Toledo City, Lapu-Lapu City, City of Naga, Bogo City. In Luzon area Legazpi City, Lucena City, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Angeles City, Pampanga, Alabang, Muntinlupa, Binodo Manila and Imus, Cavit. And also the nearby Visayan province of Maasin Southern Leyte, Tacloban City and Talisay City, Negros Occidental. All Metro Department Stores and Supermarkets are located inside multi-level store buildings.

Financial Services

Investment House: Vicsal Investment, Inc.

VICSAL’s new business venture assists private and public corporations in increasing capitalization. Incorporated in August 31, 2007, Vicsal Investment, Inc. performs the three functions of an investment house — underwriting securities for companies, brokering treasury notes, and brokering equities.

The company also provides strategic advisory services for mergers, acquisitions, and other types of financial transactions. Other services include Fixed Income Investments, Equities Trading, and Corporate Finance.

Banking: WealthBank

Established in 1966, WealthBank is now majority owned by the Vicsal Development Corporation with equity participation of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).

WealthBank now has a network of 11 branches in major cities of the southern and central parts of the country. The Bank’s strong commitment to prompt and speedy response to financial needs specifically appealed to the small and medium enterprises sector, the bank’s core clientele.

WealthBank aims to become one of the most respected financial institutions in the country, and to be ranked (in terms of total resources, networth and profitability) among the top 20 development banks with resource of P3.0 Billion and with a network of 15 branches by the end of 2010.

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Stock Brokering: Viscal Securities and Brockerage, Inc.

Vicsal Securities and Stock Brokerage, Inc. is a domestic corporation, incorporated in the Philippines and licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The company is licensed to engage in buying, selling of, or dealing in stocks, bonds, and other securities for its own account as a dealer or for the account of others as a dealer or for the account of others as a stockbroker and to render financial advisory services. The Company is both a stockholder of and a holder of an exchange trading right in the Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. (PSE).

Mutual Fund: Filipino Fund (FFI)

A closed-end investment fund managed by VICSAL, FFI is also listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange (FFI:PM).

At present, FFI has no business operations save for the normal trading of its shares in the Philippine Stock Exchange, and the maintenance of its residual investment portfolio, which is now almost entirely composed of shares in the Philippine Stock Index Fund, an index-tracking mutual fund created as part of the financial restructuring of the original FFI.

Other Financial Services

Prime Asia Pawn and Jewelry Shop, Inc.

Prime Asia Pawn & Jewelry Shop Inc., is duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. It is an active member of the Chamber of Pawnbrokers of the Philippines. It started in 1993 with the opening of its first branch located in Colon St., Cebu City.

With its steady growth and stability in the years that followed, Prime Asia is now recognized as one of the stalwarts in the pawnshop industry with its 100 branches spread all over the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

It is the first and only ISO-certified pawnshop in the Philippines at present – clearly one of the indications the Company is moving vigorously forward into the position of being among the top pawnshop companies in the country. Embarking on an ambitious expansion program will see it double its number of branches in the next couple of years, making Prime Asia Pawn & Jewelry Shops Inc., effectively in the top 5 pawnshops in the Philippines within that period.

With products and services ranging from Pawning (acceptance of jewelry and cellphones) to e-load and retailer SIM sales, Travel and Tours ticketing, to Western Union and its own Cash & Prenda Padala money transfers, the company has brought comfort and convenience to hundreds of thousands of customers, small and medium sized businesses, in and around the archipelago.

Even more, Prime Asia promises to bring forth more products and services that will greatly alleviate the living conditions of its countrymen by way of easier loan outs on a more varied acceptance of valuable items and introduction of new products and services.

Real Estate

Taft Properties

Taft Property Venture Development Corporation (Taft Properties) is changing the way we live by developing premium housing communities for people in Cebu and in key areas in the Philippines. Our residential communities are privately-secured, environmentally sound, and most of all within close proximity to urban centers in Cebu.

Dynamism and Commitment
Taft Property is a solid and dynamic developer backed by VICSAL Development Corporation, the company that gave you the Metro Gaisano chain of stores. We have been “building homes” since 1997. With the full support of a team of professionals in construction management and design, we continue to commit to developing quality and affordable housing in Cebu. Thus, complimenting Cebu City’s economic growth.

Venturing Further
Our communities and projects have excellent locations. Our homeowners enjoy fast returns on their investments with us. With Taft Property, it’s all about excellent choices. So, come and visit us and find exactly your home in mind as we continue to “build more homes and realize more dreams.”

There are four Pacific Mall branches all over the Philippines. There is one in Mandaue City, Cebu and another in Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija. There is also a branch in Legazpi City, Albay and the fourth branch in Lucena City, Quezon. Presently, the company mulls o is a proposal to open a new branch in Zamboanga City.

Joint Venture Development

The partnership of Hongkong Land and Taft Properties to develop 20 hectares of prime property right along the Mactan Channel creates a new landmark that will change the landscape of Cebu.

Other Services

Travel: Grand Holidays Travel And Tours, Inc.

Known for its great service and value-for-money packages, it is the number one travel agency in Visayas and Mindanao, and the only one outside Metro Manila to be voted into the Top 50 Travel Agents in the Philippines. It has also been a multiple recipient of the Gold award, both from Pacific Airways and Philippine Airlines.

Grand Holidays was organized in 1989 to provide quality service to the growing market of the Travel Industry in the region. Through the years, Grand Holidays has constantly surpassed the standards set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that guarantees clients prompt, competent, and dependable services anytime, anywhere linking directly through its Abacus Electronic Reservations System.

Logistics: Cargo Bayan, Inc.

Cargo Bayan Inc. is a Manila-based trucking company with the vision to cater to the growing trucking market of various shippers through revenue generation, where marketing strategies, plans and programs are focused on client’s needs and satisfaction and to the offer the best trucking service at the right price

Corporate Social Responsibility

Vicsal Foundation, Incorporated

Vicsal Foundation, Incorporated (VSF) was created and organized as an expression of corporate social responsibility of the Metro Gaisano family.

The foundation name “Vicsal” is a combination of the first names of founders Victor and Sally Gaisano, whose advocacies are toward the better education (through scholarship grants), community outreach, environmental conservation and management, and donation of physical infrastructure.

VSF envisions a society where citizens are skilled and self-sufficient, and the underprivileged, the sick and the victims of calamities are empowered.

As a full-fledged non-stock, non-profit private domestic corporation, VSF receives its income primarily from donations of the Vicsal Development Corporation. It is governed by a 9-person Board of Trustees while its day-to-day operations are handled by a Program & Evaluation Officer/Administrative Officer and supported by a team of volunteers coming from VICSAL.

VSF has been duly accredited by the Philippine Council for NGO Certification and is currently enjoying a status of being a tax-exempt and qualified-donee institution registered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue. VSF is a member of the League of Corporate Foundations.