Central Group

Central Group
Native name
กลุ่มเซ็นทรัล
Company typePrivately held
Industry
  • Retail
  • property development
  • brand management
  • hospitality
  • food and beverage
  • digital lifestyle
Founded1947; 78 years ago (1947)
Founder
  • Tiang Chirathivat
  • Samrit Chirathivat
Headquarters
Bangkok
,
Thailand
Areas served
Key people
Tos Chirathivat (executive chairman and CEO)
Products
OwnerChirathivat family
Number of employees
80,000 (2022)
Subsidiaries
Websitecentralgroup.com
Footnotes / references
[1]

Central Group is a Thai multinational conglomerate founded by Tiang and Samrit Chirathivat in 1947, and still privately owned by the Chirathivat family as of 2025. Its publicly-traded subsidiaries include Central Retail, Central Pattana (commercial real estate development), and Central Plaza Hotel (hospitality group and restaurant operator). Its privately-held subsidiaries operate several European department stores, including those acquired from the former KaDeWe Group and Selfridges Group, and financial services.

History

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Founder Tiang emigrated from Hainan Island to Bangkok in 1925. He set up his first shop in the Thon Buri district on the outskirts of Bangkok across the Chao Phraya River from the city center. He moved across the Chao Phraya River to a location near the grand Oriental Hotel (now the Mandarin Oriental), where he opened a store with his eldest son, Samrit, in 1947.[2] In 1956, the family opened Central Department Store, the biggest department store in Thailand at that time, in Wang Burapa district, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok. The company's property development arm, Central Pattana, was founded in 1980, and opened its first shopping centre, CentralPlaza Ladprao in Chatuchak District, Bangkok, in 1983. Besides expansion through physical presence in the Bangkok retail space, Central Group has in recent years built an online presence among ASEAN e-tailers and a strong presence of luxury department store collection in Europe.

Public subsidiaries

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Central Retail

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List of Central Retail department stores
Name Year
founded 		Notes
Big C 1993
Central Department Store 1927 One location in Indonesia[3][4]
Go!
Lanchi Mart
Robinson Department Store 1979 Acquired by Central in 1995
Tops Supermarket 1996
Robins 2014 Vietnamese rebranding of Robinsons Department Store
Zen 1989 Rebranded to Central in 2019

Central Pattana

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Main article: Central Pattana
List of Central Pattana properties
City Name Year
opened 		Gross floor area
Ayutthaya Central Ayutthaya 2021 160,000 m2 (1,700,000 sq ft)
Bangkok Central Bangna 2001 500,000 m2 (5,400,000 sq ft)
Central EastVille 2015 90,000 m2 (970,000 sq ft)
Central Embassy 2014 1,000,000 m2 (11,000,000 sq ft)
Central Ladprao 1982 310,000 m2 (3,300,000 sq ft)
Central Pinklao 1995 370,000 m2 (4,000,000 sq ft)
Central Rama II 2002 273,000 m2 (2,940,000 sq ft)
Central Rama IX 2011 214,000 m2 (2,300,000 sq ft)
Central Rama III 1997 188,000 m2 (2,020,000 sq ft)
Central Ramindra 1993 86,000 m2 (930,000 sq ft)
CentralWorld 2002 830,000 m2 (8,900,000 sq ft)
The Esplanade Ratchada 2021 105,000 m2 (1,130,000 sq ft)
Marche Thonglor 2023 62,000 m2 (670,000 sq ft)
Chanthaburi Central Chanthaburi 2022 92,000 m2 (990,000 sq ft)
Chiang Mai Central Chiangmai Airport 1996 250,000 m2 (2,700,000 sq ft)
Chiang Rai Central Chiangrai 2011 110,000 m2 (1,200,000 sq ft)
Central Chiangmai 2013 260,000 m2 (2,800,000 sq ft)
Chonburi Central Chonburi 2009 156,000 m2 (1,680,000 sq ft)
Central Si Racha 2021 140,000 m2 (1,500,000 sq ft)
Khon Kaen Central Khonkaen 2009 200,000 m2 (2,200,000 sq ft)
Ko Samui Central Samui 2014 76,000 m2 (820,000 sq ft)
Krabi Central Krabi 2025 46,500 m2 (501,000 sq ft)
Lampang Central Lampang 2012 110,000 m2 (1,200,000 sq ft)
Nakhon Pathom Central Salaya 2014 185,500 m2 (1,997,000 sq ft)
Central Nakhon Pathom 2024 126,000 m2 (1,360,000 sq ft)
Nakhon Ratchasima Central Korat 2017 233,000 m2 (2,510,000 sq ft)
Nakhon Sawan Central Nakhon Sawan 2024 133,300 m2 (1,435,000 sq ft)
Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Nakhon Si 2016 125,000 m2 (1,350,000 sq ft)
Nonthaburi Central Chaengwattana 2008 310,000 m2 (3,300,000 sq ft)
Central Rattanathibet 2003 14,000 m2 (150,000 sq ft)
Central WestGate 2015 352,000 m2 (3,790,000 sq ft)
Central WestVille 2023 93,000 m2 (1,000,000 sq ft)
Pattaya Central Marina 1995 70,000 m2 (750,000 sq ft)
Central Pattaya 2009 210,000 m2 (2,300,000 sq ft)
Phitsanulok Central Phitsanulok 2011 100,000 m2 (1,100,000 sq ft)
Phuket Central Phuket 2018 300,000 m2 (3,200,000 sq ft)
Rayong Central Rayong 2015 155,000 m2 (1,670,000 sq ft)
Samut Prakan Central Village Luxury Outlet 2019 80,000 m2 (860,000 sq ft)
Megacity Bangna 2021 500,000 m2 (5,400,000 sq ft)
Samut Sakhon Central Mahachai 2017 131,250 m2 (1,412,800 sq ft)
Shah Alam, Malaysia Central i-City[a] 2019 259,000 m2 (2,790,000 sq ft)
Songkhla Central Hatyai 2013 295,000 m2 (3,180,000 sq ft)
Surat Thani Central Suratthani 2012 130,000 m2 (1,400,000 sq ft)
Ubon Ratchathani Central Ubon 2013 186,284 m2 (2,005,140 sq ft)
Udon Thani Central Udon 2009 250,000 m2 (2,700,000 sq ft)
  1. ^ Central i-City is the only CPN-owned mall that does not feature Central Department Store or any Central Group retail stores.

Central Plaza Hotel

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Central Group owns and manages visitor accommodation at all major Thai tourist destinations and around the world under own banners as well as international brands. Hotels cover every segment from luxury to economy. Central’s own brands comprise Centara Reserve, Centara Grand, Centara Boutique Collection, Centara, Centra by Centara and Cosi, while internationally-branded hotels include Park Hyatt Bangkok and Hilton Pattaya. In the Maldives, Centara Grand is opening its fourth location on February 1, 2025. In Japan, Central Group is a co-investor in StayFactory Hotel Group, whose brands include Hotel Hillarys, Hotel Relief, and Hotel Stork. In Switzerland, Central Group has also comprised Central Hotel Zurich company and Globus supermarket.

Central Group has also pioneered restaurant chains in Thailand, and operates well-known local, regional, and international food brands such as Mister Donut, KFC, Auntie Anne’s, Pepper Lunch, Chabuton, The Terrace, Yoshinoya, Ootoya, Tenya, Katsuya and Fezt.[5]

Private subsidiaries

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European luxury stores

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List of Central Group department stores in Europe
Country Name Year
founded 		Year
acquired 		Notes
Denmark Illum 1891 2013
Germany Alsterhaus 1912 2015
Kaufhaus des Westens 1907 2015
Oberpollinger 1905 2015
Italy La Rinascente 1865 2011
Ireland Arnotts 1843 2022 Joint venture with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund
Brown Thomas 1848 1983 Joint venture with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund
Netherlands De Bijenkorf 1870 2022 Joint venture with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund
Switzerland Globus 1907 2020
United Kingdom Selfridges 1908 2022 Joint venture with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund

Financial services

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One of Central Group's aspirations towards the New Central New Economy strategy is to create convenience for both merchants and consumers with financial services and Fintech, with the ultimate goal of a cashless society in Thailand.

  • Credit – The1 credit card, sales finance, personal loans
  • Payment – gift cards, e-payments, e-wallets
  • Insurance brokerage – motor, health, personal accident, property & casualty, group life [6]
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References

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  1. ^ "Achievements: Employees". Central Group. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  2. ^ Ono, Yukako (10 September 2017). "For Thailand's retail giant Central Group, it is no longer all in the family". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  3. ^ "CENTRAL GROUP on Instagram: "[#CGUPDATE] เปลี่ยนคุณให้เป็นอีกคน เริ่มต้นความสนุกครั้งใหม่ กับ ZEN ที่เปลี่ยนชื่อเป็น CENTRAL @ centralwOrld แล้ววันนี้ #CENTRALGroup…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  4. ^ Image imggmi.com Archived 2019-01-11 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Hospitality". www.centralgroup.com. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Financial Services & FinTech". centralgroup.com. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
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