Big C

Overview

Big C Retail Corporation PLC

type	Public
area served	Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong
key people	Aswin Techajareonvikul, President‡R1R‡ Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, Chairman
industry	Retail
products	Discount Stores, Grocery Stores, Hypermarkets
revenue	140 billion baht (2018)
net income	6,976 million baht (FY2013)
num employees	27,000
parent	TCC Group (Thailand, Laos and Cambodia) Central Group & Nguyen Kim Group (Vietnam)
foundation	1993‡R2R‡
founder	Central Group
location	Bangkok, Thailand
homepage	bigc.co.th

Big C, operated by Big C Supercenter Public Company Limited under Big C Retail Corporation Public Company Limited, is a grocery and general merchandising retailer headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand.[3] In 2016, Big C was Thailand's second-largest hypermarket operator after Lotus's.[4] It has operations in five countries, namely Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

The company was founded by Central Group in 1993 and the first Big C opened on Chaengwattana Road in Bangkok in 1994. As of 2019 Big C operates 153 hypermarkets, 63 Big C markets, and 1,018 Mini Big C stores.[5]

History

Beginning

Store formats

Former Store Formats

Big C A Big C Supercenter is a hypermarket targeting mid-to-low income customers.[20] There are 138 Big C Supercenters in Thailand and one in PoiPet, Cambodia as of 2022.[21]

Big C Extra is a hypermarket targeting mid- to high-income customers. It offers a wider range of fresh and dry food items, imported products, and wine than a Big C Supercenter.[20] There are 15 Big C Extra stores in Thailand as of end-2022.[22]

Big C Place is The shopping center/hypermarket format, originally an extension of the Big C Rama IV branch on the eastern land of the building under the name "Big C Plaza," has now become the primary format for standalone buildings, with some branches renovated from existing Big C and Big C Extra locations.

Big C Marché is an exclusive supermarket located in One Bangkok (Big C Bangkok Marché) and Bluport Huahin (Big C Huahin Marché) targeting high-value income customers. It offers 3 shop-in-shop concepts. The supermarket offers more imported products and fresh and dry food items than a Big C Foodplace. The restaurant presents the premium meals, as well as the grill bar that you can pick any items in store and bring it to cook for meals. And the wine cellar, presenting a wider range of Wine and Alcoholic around the world.

Big C Foodplace s an urban supermarket targeting urban upmarket customers. The stores are located in urban locations and focus in offering a selection of products, particularly ready-to-eat meals, organic foods, healthy foods, and imported products. At the end of 2022, Big C Foodplace had a total of 11 branches.[23]

Mini Big C Mini Big C is a "proximity store" format targeting mid- to low-income customers. Mini Big C stores carry a larger assortment than typical convenience stores and offer selected promotional items.[20] The average size of a Mini Big C store is around 80–250 m2, open 24/7. There are 1,430 Mini Big C stores in Thailand as of end-2022.[24]

Pure by Big C is a drugstore format offering pharmaceutical, health, beauty, and wellness products. Most of Pure drugs, Promotion, Blond Kid, ores are in Big C hypermarkets and Big C Markets.[20] There are 146 Pure outlets in Thailand (2022).[25]

Big C Plaza

Big C Market

Big C Depot is a wholesale format targeting HORECA customers. Formerly Big C Market stores. At the end of 2022, Big C Depot had a total of 11 branches.[26]

Outside of Thailand

Laos

41 M-Point Mart stores in Vientiane were rebranded to Mini Big C in June 2019.[27] In early 2023, Big C began construction on its first hypermarket in Vientiane with the aim of opening in April 2024. Construction is being supported by Lao investors.[28]

There are currently 66 Mini Big C branches operating in Vientiane. Big C's products in Laos differs from stores in other countries, as Lao stores instead have more products that appeal better to the Lao market. Products are either sourced locally, or imported from Thailand, Vietnam, China or Europe.[28] Products produced in Laos are also being distributed by Big C to stores across different countries in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.[29] The two signed on 19 November 2020 a Memorandum of Understanding.[30]

Cambodia

Big C Supercenter: Big C opened its first Cambodian store in Poipet on 4 December 2019. The company invested 300 million baht to build Big C Poipet on 20 rai. The hypermarket is 8,000 m2, with 3,000 m2 of sales area and rental space of 5,000 m2.

In early 2023, Big C partnered with the Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation (OCIC) to construct the first hypermarket in Khan Chroy Changvar.[31]

Big C plans to open five or six Big C hypermarket stores in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap over the next two years.[5] They plan to open 350 stores in the country in every province of Cambodia over the next 5 years.[32]

Mini Big C: On 5 September 2021, Big C opened its first Mini Big C store in Phnom Penh. Its opening was attended by government officials, business people and the Thai ambassador.[33]

Vietnam

Big C has 35 stores throughout Vietnam and all of them are owned by Central Group, which will begin rebranding under its GO! retail brand. Berli Jucker, which owns a majority stake in Big C in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, will invest one billion baht in 2020 to open three MM Mega Market wholesale stores in Vietnam next year, bringing the total number of MM Mega Market stores there to 21 branches.[5]

Hong Kong

On 23 August 2023, Big C acquired local Thai retailer AbouThai and rebranded them into Big C stores. By 2026, Big C will expand its network to 100 locations in Hong Kong.

Big C

History

Beginning

1990s

Merger with Groupe Casino

2000s

Global branding

Carrefour acquisition

Ownership under Thai Charoen Corporation

2017 terrorist attack

Abandoned Tesco Lotus acquisition plan

Recent developments