Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. (RRHI) has bought back 22.2 percent of its shares from GCH Investments Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of major Asian retail group DFI Retail Group, for P15.77 billion through a special block sale on the Philippine Stock Exchange.
The transaction involved the reacquisition of 315.3 million common shares and is part of RRHI’s strategy to optimize capital allocation and enhance shareholder value.
The buyback was funded through a combination of internal resources and external borrowings, with the company maintaining financial flexibility following the deal.
DFI became a significant shareholder in RRHI in 2018 when Robinsons Retail acquired Rustan Supercenters, Inc. through a share-for-share swap. DFI later increased its stake to 20 percent through further share purchases from the Gokongwei family and in the open market.
“DFI has been instrumental in RRHI’s growth,” said said Stanley Co, president and chief executive officer of the listed retail arm of the Gokongwei Group. He credited the partnership with enabling RRHI to enter the premium food retail segment and expand its drugstore presence nationwide through brands like The Marketplace, Shopwise, and Rose Pharmacy.
Even with the buyback, RRHI will continue to exclusively distribute DFI’s private label brands, Meadows and Guardian, in the Philippines.
Co said that these brands remain key to RRHI’s strategy of offering innovative and affordable products.
The transaction price was mutually agreed upon, reflecting market conditions and strategic factors. While reducing DFI’s equity stake, the move preserves key commercial ties and signals the Gokongwei Group’s confidence in RRHI’s long-term growth and value.
