Mr. Suthisarn Chirathivat, Chief Executive Officer of Central Retail Corporation Public Company Limited (SET: CRC), revealed that “As it approaches 15 years of operations in Vietnam, Central Retail has continued to grow and expand its network. We remain confident in Vietnam’s potential as one of Central Retail’s key strategic markets, supported by strong economic growth, continued urbanisation, and rising consumer purchasing power. This is reflected in Vietnam’s GDP growth of 8.18% in the first half of 2026 and 8.39% in the second quarter, while retail sales and consumer services grew by 12.9%. These figures underscore the strength of domestic consumption, which remains one of the key drivers of Vietnam’s economy.
From our first day in Vietnam to today, Central Retail has invested more than THB 49 billion in developing its business, growing from a retail presence into a comprehensive ecosystem and becoming one of the country’s largest foreign retail operators. Today, our network comprises more than 300 shopping malls and stores across 26 provinces, with over 1.3 million square metres of retail space. We serve approximately 500,000 consumers each day and employ around 13,000 people, 99.5% of whom are Vietnamese. This growth has been built across three core areas — food, non-food, and property. Our food portfolio includes GO! hypermarket, Tops Market, mini go!, and Lan Chi Mart, while our non-food business brings together leading lifestyle, sports, and fashion brands such as Supersports, Kubo, Dyson, Columbia, Crocs, Hoka, Speedo, and Under Armour. Complementing these businesses is our property portfolio, led by GO! Mall, which connects consumers with more than 200 international brands and over 400 local tenants.
Central Retail continues to expand Modern Retail into new high-potential areas across major cities, secondary cities, and communities nationwide through our Right Format, Right Location, and Right Proposition strategy. This enables each business to respond effectively to the specific needs and behaviours of consumers in each location. At the same time, we are strengthening our Customer Ecosystem through The 1 Vietnam, which now covers both our food and non-food businesses and has attracted more than 7.4 million members in less than one year. This demonstrates our ability to connect a broad customer base with a diverse range of businesses and services, while creating further opportunities to develop our loyalty program and omnichannel experience to serve consumers more comprehensively.”
Mr. Stephane Coum, Chief Executive Officer of Central Retail Food Group, added, “The food business is one of the key growth engines for Central Retail in Vietnam. Our ambition is to become the ‘Pantry of Vietnam’, a trusted food destination where consumers can find fresh, diverse, high-quality, safe, and value-for-money products. Alongside this, we are continuously enhancing the shopping experience to make it more convenient and relevant to the lifestyles of today’s consumers. Our strength lies in having a diverse range of store formats, from hypermarkets to supermarkets, allowing us to expand in ways that best suit the potential of each location and consumer segment across both major and secondary cities. This is a key strategy that enables CRC to grow flexibly while reaching a broader base of consumers.
We are also continuing to strengthen our flagship GO! hypermarket business by reinforcing its position as a Fresh Food Destination, complemented by a carefully curated range of products and new innovations. We are enhancing the food experience through Bakery and Eatery concepts, transforming GO! into more than just a shopping destination, but a place where families can shop, dine, and spend quality time together. At the same time, we continue to expand mini go! supermarket across provincial markets and secondary cities, while further developing Tops Market in major urban areas to respond to rapidly evolving consumer lifestyles and behaviours.”
“Central Retail remains committed to driving continued growth in Vietnam in line with the country’s long-term growth potential. In 2026, we opened the mini go! Cu Chi branch in January, followed most recently by the opening of GO! hypermarket Dan Phuong in August. By 2028, we plan to further expand our core food business network with an additional 10–12 GO! hypermarket stores and 23–25 mini go! supermarket stores in new high-potential locations. In parallel, we will continue developing our non-food businesses and lifestyle brand stores to capture the growing purchasing power of Vietnam’s expanding middle class and broaden Central Retail Vietnam’s network across major and secondary cities nationwide.
Most importantly, our growth is not solely about expanding our business. We are focused on creating opportunities and generating economic impact for local economies and communities throughout the entire supply chain, from creating jobs and opportunities for farmers and SMEs to supporting locally made products. More than 90% of the products sold across our retail network are sourced within Vietnam, and we work with more than 2,000 local suppliers, helping connect entrepreneurs to modern distribution channels. We also collaborate with government agencies and various partners to bring Vietnamese products to international markets and networks. Through these efforts, we aim to contribute to the sustainable growth of Vietnam’s retail and wholesale sectors, in line with our ‘Better for Vietnam’ strategy,” Mr. Suthisarn concluded.
One of the key initiatives reflecting Central Retail’s commitment to fostering shared growth between Thailand and Vietnam is Vietnamese Week in Thailand 2026, an event that Central Retail continues to organise as a platform connecting Vietnamese entrepreneurs with Thai consumers. The initiative creates opportunities for Vietnamese businesses to expand their markets while promoting economic and cultural exchange between the two countries. This year’s event will be held under the theme “Discover the Charm of Vietnam,” showcasing the unique appeal of five key Vietnamese cities and provinces for Thai consumers to experience in the heart of Bangkok. Vietnamese Week in Thailand 2026 will take place from 17–20 September 2026 at Eden Zone, Levels 1 and 2, centralwOrld.
