Day 4
John Cheston, 41, chief executive officer of Robinsons Group Robinsons department store, the grand old dame of Singapore's retail scene, celebrated its 150th birthday this year with this dapper Brit at its helm.
But it wasn't just cake and champagne for the Robinsons Group, which also runs John Little and Marks & Spencer department stores and distributes five brands in Singapore and Malaysia, including River Island, Principles and Fat Face.
In April, it was bought over for $620 million by a Dubai-based group whose businesses includes distributing brands such as Lexus and Panasonic in the Middle East.
Luckily, the Robinsons Group has weathered the storm and, as Cheston says, it is business as usual.
He has three children aged 11, eight and four.
What's your ideal present for Christmas?
Dress socks. I told my kids I want socks because they are a necessity. In an economic climate like this, needs outweigh wants and I need good quality socks to replace my old ones.
What was the best thing that happened to you this year?
The fact that there has been stability since end April, after the company was bought out. There were no salary cuts or retrenchment.
What was the worst?
When I first got wind of the takeover. On Jan 20, I was at home having lunch with friends when I got a phone call and was told that Robinsons was the subject of a hostile takeover and it was going to be in the newspapers the next day.
A lot of things went through my mind at that moment - I worried about what would happen to my staff, what would happen to me. It did not turn out to be a bad thing, it was just the uncertainty that I had to face.
What's your wish for 2009?
Just when it looked like Singapore was gaining momentum with the big run on property prices and the integrated resorts, a global financial crisis suddenly hit. I hope the economy will turn around and that the crisis will come to an end sooner rather than later.
Wish list (from left in Photo 4)
1. Grey socks, $17 for two pairs, from River Island, 01-41 VivoCity
2. Socks with rocket motif by Byford London, $12.90 for two pairs, from Robinsons The Centrepoint
3. Checked socks, $16.90, from Pull and Bear, 01-28A VivoCity
4. Striped socks, $13 for two pairs, from Fox, B2-34 Takashimaya
Photographer: ASHLEIGH SIM; Creative director: JEROME AWASTHI; Hair: ASH LOI (9365-5404) for Estique Studio using Schwarzkopf; Location: Jing Restaurant, 01-02 One Fullerton; Clothes: Cheston's own; Special thanks to Robinsons for Christmas decorations.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on Dec 19, 2008.
