The luxury of space is what Rustan’s in Gateway sorely lacked for many years, limiting its merchandise assortment and the activities it could offer to its shoppers in Cubao.
With the space dilemma finally fixed, it will be a whole new Rustan’s Gateway when the department store has its grand relaunch Saturday, Sept. 10. Now with a floor area of 10,000 square meters, the four-level expanded store is over three times its original size, gleaming with fresh interiors, and bearing an exciting lineup of brands only previously available in bigger Rustan’s outlets.
“We’ve always wanted to put more brands here and do so many activities, but we couldn’t because we were limited by space. Now those won’t be a problem,” says Ma. Elena R. Tantoco, VP for home merchandising and buying division.
This weekend, the Gateway outpost’s Home section—Tantoco’s baby—will play host to a three-day market of Philippine produce and food products, as well as product and cooking demos. It will also showcase an entertaining table setup by chef-restaurateur and Araneta scion Margarita Forés.
The shoppers of the Gateway branch—mainly young couples and students—differ in demographic from other Rustan’s outlets, such that it has also adjusted the product and brand selection to cater to this market, says Michael T. Huang, third-generation Tantoco and the luxury department store’s VP for store planning and expansions. More affordable brands make up a large portion of the merchandise.
At the Home section, the house brand, Rustan’s Home, is given prime space, offering fine-quality bed and bath linens without the prohibitive price tags of Rustan’s designer and luxury brands. The bed linens are made of Egyptian cotton, Tantoco says proudly.
Filipiniana
The section also showcases locally made products in its Filipiniana “Our Very Own” corner, sourced from artisans all over the country, including recycled pieces of wood made into cheese and deli boards. Select delicacies like dried mango chocolate from Cebu and artisanal Davao chocolate bars can also be found here.
Since it’s Rustan’s, the retail source of fine global brands, local products share space with such brands as Lalique of France, Lladro of Spain, Swarovski of Austria, among others. A gift pavilion and a section for religious items are adjacent to the home fragrances.
The other half of the expanded floor is a vast section of stemware, flatware and dinner ware, right next to the bridal registry.
A sizeable area is also devoted to the “Red Tag” room, the Rustan’s outlet store for all its departments.
The Home section now also has an East Café, similar to the one in Makati.
Tantoco is hoping to launch here soon Ralph Lauren Home and Kate Spade Home.
The size of the Gateway store will be the standard minimum floor area of all Rustan’s stores as they undergo expansion and renovation, says Huang. The Gateway branch took all of eight months to complete, and the modern interiors—wood finishes in earth and gray tones, plenty of drop lighting—were the handiwork of Metro Millennium.
The ground floor, devoted to a younger crowd, is done in darker, edgy tones, and houses denim, shoe, eyewear and watch bars. There’s also a nail bar where shoppers can do their swatching, right by the cosmetics section.
The fashion floor plays host to the N by Natori boutique, Josie Natori’s more affordable label, as well as Criselda Lontok and Rustan’s house brands like Jill by Jojie Lloren and Lady Rustan’s, as well as a bag bar showcasing popular brands like Longchamp and LeSportSac.
Rustan’s Gateway has opened Silver Vault in the expanded wing, containing younger and trendier jewelry brands like John Hardy. The branch will also be offering, for the first time, a personal shopping service.
Right above Home is the Children’s section—the only one in the entire mall to have a toy and infant sections. As in other branches, it offers a children’s gift registry, as well as a beautifully decorated nursing room for mothers with infants.
On launch day, plenty of activities await Rustan’s shoppers, including a fashion show of its VIP customers, Tantoco says. The weekend market in the Home section alone will have 21 exhibitors from all over the country.
