Mr. Suthisarn Chirathivat, Chief Executive Officer of Central Retail Corporation Public Company Limited (SET: CRC) stated, “Amidst a volatile global landscape and multi-faceted challenges, Central Retail continued to deliver strong profitability in 2025. This success is a tangible result of the “New Heights, Next Growth” strategy, which prioritises strengthening core businesses, scaling New Growth Engines, and sharpening business focus on the high-potential markets of Thailand and Vietnam.
As of year-end 2025, CRC’s business in Thailand consists of 3,596 stores across 63 provinces, accounting for 80% of total sales. In Vietnam, the company operates a total of 127 stores across 26 of its 34 provinces, representing a 20% sales share. In addition, the company has successfully expanded The 1 membership base in Vietnam, reaching over 4.3 million members.
CRC has also strengthened its financial position while effectively managing its finances and capital structure to maximise efficiency, ensuring stable long-term growth. At the same time, CRC continues to operate under the CRC Care business philosophy, which encompasses environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions—aimed at creating sustainable growth together with all stakeholders”.
In 2025, the Hardline business group proved its competitive edge through the expansion of Thaiwatsadu, a standout business with a decade of continuous growth. Its network now spans 89 branches across 52 provinces nationwide, driving 2025 sales to THB 43 billion. This represents an average annual growth rate of 9% and captures a 25% share of the market. At the same time, AUTO1, one of CRC’s New Growth Engine businesses, fast-tracked its growth by opening 13 new branches, bringing its 2025 year-end total to 53. For 2026, the company has also set an aggressive roadmap to double its network with 53 additional branches. This expansion brings the total network to 106 branches in high-potential locations nationwide, designed to meet the full spectrum of automotive service demands.
In 2026—a year set against a backdrop of ‘Challenges & Opportunities’ for the retail-wholesale industry—Central Retail continues to execute its “New Heights, Next Growth” 3-year strategy. Guided by the “Innovation in Action” approach, the company aims to elevate its organisational capabilities to drive the next phase of growth through 3 key strategic directions:
- Uplift Customer Experience – Enhancing seamless shopping experiences by building on the continued success of Central Retail’s omnichannel platform, which has recorded steady sales growth. In 2025, online sales grew by 14% year-on-year. Central Retail continues to enhance in-store experiences through personalised service from store staff, improved store ambience, additional Self-Checkout points, joint events across business units, and expanded lifestyle spaces that drive foot traffic such as food zones, gaming zones, and champagne bars. The company is also leveraging AI to make online shopping faster and easier, from product searches to personalised promotions and stacked coupons. At the same time, Central Retail is seamlessly connecting offline and digital experiences through services such as Personal Shopper, Chat & Shop, Click & Collect, and Reserve & Collect— ensuring a truly frictionless journey for every shopper.
- Reinvent Concepts and Merchandise – Upgrading brands and product offerings to stay relevant to evolving consumer needs. In Vietnam, Central Retail is enhancing merchandise available at GO! Hypermarkets, focusing on bakery, ready-to-eat meals, home products, and Private Label items to better meet customer demand. In Thailand, the company will increase the variety of leading fashion brands from both Thailand and across Asia, while accelerating the expansion of KIS & LOOKS Beauty Specialty Stores by adjusting store formats and pricing to make them more accessible and appealing to young and mainstream customers.
- Drive Operational Excellence – Enhancing operational efficiency and strengthening competitiveness through advanced technologies. Central Retail is upgrading operations across multiple dimensions. The company integrates AI to enhance customer management, marketing strategies, procurement, and pricing, as well as in-store management, while improving employee productivity and agility to build an organisation that is future-ready. Central Retail has also developed the One Data Platform to unify customer data from both online and offline channels into a Single View of Customer Data, enabling a deeper understanding of customer behaviour and the ability to deliver Omnichannel Coupons that seamlessly meet consumer needs across every touchpoint. In addition, the company continues to improve system efficiency, specifically in inventory management and end-to-end logistics.
To drive robust growth in 2026, Central Retail announced an investment budget of THB 16–18 billion for store renovations and expansion in both Thailand and Vietnam, its key strategic markets. The company plans to open 8–10 new TOPS branches, 2 GO WHOLESALE branches, and 3–5 Thaiwatsadu branches in Thailand. In Vietnam, the expansion roadmap includes 2 GO! Malls, 1 GO! Hypermarket, and 6 mini go!.
The company will also carefully explore expansion opportunities into other ASEAN markets. Central Retail targets revenue growth of 4–5% and EBITDA growth of 5–7% year-over-year for 2026. The company prioritises disciplined financial management to ensure high-quality sales and profitability, maintaining strong financial position to support potential mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the future, as well as delivering sustainable returns to its shareholders.
“Central Retail places customers at the heart of every step of our business. We will continue to leverage innovation and technology to further elevate our service capabilities, while continuously developing new businesses to meet consumer needs with deep insight and precision. This reinforces our position as the retail and wholesale industry leader, both in Thailand and regionally, guided by our commitment to be a ‘Retail & Wholesale for All’. We are ready to grow sustainably together with all stakeholders, delivering the best experiences to remain Central to Life for everyone”, Mr. Suthisarn concluded.
