From producing pantry basics to offering cutting-edge digital banking services, here we trace the journey highlights of various companies that have now coalesced under the Gokongwei Group master brand.
The Gokongwei Group ("Group") is a collective reference to the various enterprises/companies, established by the Gokongwei Family, involved in diversified businesses in the Philippines and the ASEAN region. The Group includes JG Summit Holdings, Inc. together with its respective subsidiaries and affiliates, Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, and the Group's philanthropic arm, the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, among other business entities.
With a Php 500,000 loan from China Bank facilitated by Albino SyCip, John Gokongwei, Jr. founded Universal Corn Products, the precursor of Universal Robina Corporation (URC), in 1954. Corn syrup, its first consumer product, was launched in 1956, marking the start of URC.
In 1961, Gokongwei established Consolidated Food Corporation (CFC), which launched the highly successful Blend 45 brand in 1963.
URC was founded in 1966, blazing a trail for the local snack food industry with the now iconic Chiz Curls, Chippy, and Potato Chips marketed under the Jack ‘n Jill brand.
Robinsons Land Corp. was incorporated in 1980, and made its PSE listing debut in 1989. The following year, RLC opened Robinsons Galleria, the first modern mixed-use development in the Philippines.
Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. (RRHI)’s journey begins with launch of the first Robinsons Department Store, which opened in Robinsons Manila (then known as Robinsons Place Ermita) in 1980.
UNICON Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers Corporation was registered as an insurance broker to cater to the insurance needs of the conglomerate in 1980.
The first Robinsons Supermarket in Cebu in 1985, marking the group’s entry into food retail.
JG Summit Holdings, Inc., with core interests in food and agro-industrial commodities, real estate and hotels, air transportation, and petrochemicals, was incorporated in November 1990. It became publicly listed in 1993.
Our founder Mr. John, and his brothers, Henry, Johnson, and James, established the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) with the goal of having a lasting impact on education in the Philippines.
JG Summit Petrochemical Corporation (now part of JG Summit Olefins Corp.) is established in 1994, and gains government approval to produce polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) products.
URC was listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange in 1994.
Summit Media, the media conglomerate founded by Mr. John’s daughter Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng, launches the debut issue of Preview in June 1995.
Though it was founded in 1988, Cebu Pacific Air officially commenced its airline operations on March 8, 1996, with its first domestic flight from Manila to Cebu.
On his 80th birthday, our founder, Mr. John, announced he was donating half his personal shares in JG Summit Holdings Inc. to the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, making GBF the single largest shareholder of JG Summit.
With capital of Php 512 million, Robinsons Bank started as a savings bank in November 1997, right in the midst of the Asian financial crisis.
GBF established its first major project, a Technical Training Center with industry-standard facilities in Pasig City in 1999.
JG Summit acquired a 23% stake in Singapore Land in 1999.
RRHI brought Ministop, a leading Japanese convenience store franchise chain, to the Philippines in partnership with Ministop Japan and Mitsubishi Corporation in 2000.
Digital Telecommunications Phils., a 1993 acquisition of JG Summit, launched Sun Cellular in 2004, providing Filipinos with an alternative to the leading cellphone/wireless telecom services at the time.
RRHI made its first major acquisition, True Value, in 2007.
JG Summit Olefins Corp. (JGSOC) was established in 2008.
Robinsons Bank started operating as a commercial bank in 2010 after acquiring Royal Bank of Scotland (PH).
In 2011, JG Summit obtained an 8% stake in PLDT in exchange for Digitel.
RRHI acquired 90% of Southstar Drug, one of the country’s largest drugstore chains, founded by the Dy family in Bicol in 2012.
RBank acquired Legazpi Savings Bank in 2012, opening up business lines and growing the target market for RBank in the Bicol region.
RRHI went public in 2013, holding the record as the largest IPO for 5 years when it raised total amount of US$600m.
JG Summit acquired a 27.1% stake in Meralco, the largest private sector electric distribution utility company in the Philippines, for Php72 billion in 2013.
JG Summit Petrochemicals completed the first and only Naphtha cracker in the Philippines in 2014.
URC purchased Griffin's Foods — New Zealand's largest domestic snack player – for $606.6m in 2014. The purchase of Snackbrands Australia in 2016 further bolstered its presence across the Asia-Pacific and Oceania regions.
CEB acquired the entirety of Tigerair Philippines for ₱672 million in 2014, boosting the carrier's inter-island operations. The following year, Tigerair Philippines was rebranded as Cebgo.
RRHI launched Robinsons Easymart in 2014.
In 2016, JG Summit acquired a 30% stake in Global Business Power Corporation, which was subsequently sold to Meralco in 2021.
RRHI acquired 51% of TGP, the largest generics drugstore chain in the country, with over 2,000 franchised stores in 2016.
LIPAD, a consortium composed of Filinvest Development, JG Summit, Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions, and Changi Airport Philippines, was awarded the 25-year operations and management contract of the Clark International Airport in 2018.
RRHI acquired Rustan Supercenters, which includes The Marketplace and Shopwise from the Dairy Farm Group in 2018.
JG Digital Equity Ventures (JGDEV), the corporate venture capital arm of JG Summit, and Data Analytics Ventures Inc (DAVI), the group’s data analytics firm, were incorporated in 2019.
At the height of the Covid pandemic, RRHI launched the GoRobinsons.ph (now GoCart.ph), southstardrug.com.ph, and robinsonsappliances.com.ph e-commerce platforms 2020.
RRHI, through its subsidiary, Southstar Drug and Mulgrave Corporation B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dairy Farm International, acquired 100% of Rose Pharmacy Inc, a leading drugstore in the Visayas and Mindanao, in 2020.
URC exited its Oceania business in 2021 and bought Munchy’s in the same year.
DHL Summit Solutions, Inc. (DSSI), a joint venture combining the logistics expertise of DHL Supply Chain with the market knowledge of JG Summit Holdings, began commercial operations in 2021.
RL Commercial REIT, Inc. (RCR), a real estate investment trust backed by Robinsons Land, raised P23.5 billion during its PSE listing debut in 2021.
Data Analytics Ventures, Inc. (DAVI) led the transition of Robinsons Rewards, a retail loyalty program of the Gokongwei Group, relaunched as Go Rewards in 2021.
Launched the Gokongwei Group master brand alongside the celebration of GBF’s 30th anniversary.
RRHI acquired the 40% stake of Ministop Japan in Ministop Philippines in 2022, which was later rebranded to Uncle John’s.
In 2022, Universal Hotels and Resorts Inc (UHRI), a privately held company of the Gokongwei family, opened the NuStar Resort & Casino, a premier 5-star integrated resort in Cebu, Philippines. It houses the Fili Hotel, the first homegrown 5-star hotel in RLC’s portfolio.
Robinsons Bank announced in September 2022 its merger with BPI, a move designed to unlock various synergies across several products and service platforms, and expand the customer and deposit base of both banks through the merged entity.
GoTyme Bank, a partnership of the Gokongwei Group with Tyme Bank, is launched in October 2022, unveiling financial solutions that are designed to offer Filipinos a personalized, high-quality banking experience.
JE Holdings, a privately held investment company of the Gokongwei family, invests in HMO and becomes a co-equal shareholder of Maxicare alongside Equicom Group.
RRHI bought GIC’s stake in BPI in January 2023.
The BPI-Robinsons Bank merger took effect on January 1, 2024.
Cebu Pacific formalized its largest aircraft order in Philippine aviation history in July 2024 where it will acquire up to 152 Airbus A321neo jets.
JG Summit celebrated its 35th anniversary.
Robinsons Land Corporation celebrated its 45th anniversary.
Cebu Pacific celebrated its 30th anniversary.
URC celebrated its 70th anniversary.
Unveiled the John Gokongwei, Jr. Blvd., the main thoroughfare in Bridgetowne Destination Estate in Pasig City, to celebrate our founder’s centenary.
Nov 09, 2020
Nov 15, 2019
Nov 14, 2019
Nov 10, 2019
Oct 25, 2018
May 31, 2018
May 31, 2018