Anthem Group, long time purveyors of Original Penguin, Thomas Sabo and Perry Ellis celebrated its 10th year anniversary as a company on May 24. It has been in the business since 2006 and has continued to grow under the supervision of Managing Directors Ericson and Cheryl Lee.
The company’s first retail door was the Anthem specialty store that carried some of its current house brands including Original Penguin—which celebrated its 60th anniversary in October 2015—and later opened its first stand-alone boutique at Power Plant Mall. This well-known American brand from the United States became a smash hit with Filipinos for its preppy classic: The Earl Polo. Today, Original Penguin has more than 24 retail stores in the Philippines, with Anthem Group being the sole exclusive distributor in Asia.
From a small room of five to currently around 500 employees, Anthem Group has expanded into acquiring other apparel and non-apparel brands. Thomas Sabo, a jewelry brand in Germany, was the next acqusition of Cheryl Lee as she fell in love with the unique collections of its charms in 2011. Perry Ellis was next for the young professional market with its vast array of dress shirts and casual polos. It also adds American shoe brand, Soludos with fashionable espadrilles that are in season all year long.
For 2016, Anthem Group sees itself venturing into its first ever food store. Inspired by the ‘to-go’ food lifestyle of other countries, Eat City is the first of its kind to offer this ‘grab and go’ concept as it takes chef-made-convenient-food to a whole new level. Eat City is now open at Madison Square Building in North Greenhills.
What’s next for the Anthem Group? The company is currently working on tapping the Visayas and Mindanao market, bringing its brands closer to home for others. “The demand we get to have our brands at other retail channels and outlets is very high especially in the key provincial areas,” according to Cheryl. “The business is never easy, it always has its ups and lows but our company relies on a good team to keep the ball rolling regardless of the retail climate. And we are very proud of that” as per Eric.
The managing directors also hinted that something bigger is in store in 2017, including its new partnership with its American counterpart Original Penguin stores, as they serve kids only merchandise and launch Original Penguin Kids. Customers can also expect the revival of a popular men’s apparel brand from the UK next year.
Cheryl emphasizes, “We’re constantly looking for brands that Filipinos will discover to love and suit their everyday needs – whether it be through fashion, food and other aspects. We’ve always loved fashion, it has been our pledge—or an anthem if you will—that has fueled what our company stands for. After 10 years in the business, we are proud to see the company evolve into something else we’ve never imagined.” Anthem Group will continue to keep shoppers at its toes as they continue to deliver the next ‘in’ thing for years to come.
