Golden ABC: How a Philippine Family Business Empowers New Leadership and Succession

The Business Manual sat down with Bryan and Amanda Liu of Golden ABC, a multi-brand retail pioneer, to explore how a Philippine family business can evolve its organizational structure while maintaining its core identity and consumer-first legacy.

True legacy is not only about leaving a business for the next generation to inherit – visionary leaders also gift their children a mindset, a passion, and an approach that prepares them to evolve it for future success. This approach to succession planning ensures that fashion retail pioneers in the Philippines can adapt to modern markets.

The Business Manual sat down with Bryan and Amanda Liu, the children of Golden ABC executive chairman Bernie Liu and president and CEO Alice Liu, to explore how founders cultivate a stewardship mindset and prepare the next generation to become caretakers of their business creations. Bryan is the company’s vice president for strategy and operations, and Amanda is head of BOCU.

What is the History of Golden ABC and Penshoppe?

• 1986: Golden ABC and flagship brand Penshoppe launched in Cebu.
• 1991: First Metro Manila store opens at SM City North Edsa.
• 2025: Alice Liu becomes president and CEO; Bernie Liu transitions to executive chairman.

To understand the company’s future, we start with its beginnings.

Born from a simple garment factory acquired by Bernie’s mother, Norma Liu, Golden ABC has evolved into the country’s multi-brand fashion retail pioneer, known not only locally but also abroad.

Bernie, a licensed architect, started out using the factory as a t-shirt project, producing items for school giveaways and organizations. In 1986, a month after the EDSA People Power Revolution, he and his friends launched Golden ABC and its flagship brand, Penshoppe, in Cebu, combining the student staple “pen” with the alternative spelling “shoppe” to evoke a boutique-like charm and feel.

The company, which started with around 40 employees, gradually became successful in the Visayas and Mindanao markets. In 1991, Penshoppe unveiled its Metro Manila store at SM City North Edsa. To compete with the influx of foreign brands, Golden ABC created additional brands tailored to different market segments: OXGN (youth streetwear), Memo (workwear), ForMe (women’s fashion), Regatta (preppy leisurewear), and BOCU (minimalist essentials).

Golden ABC became a pioneer in the Philippines and was among the first to use international celebrity endorsers for its brand, starting in 1995 with the Irish music group Boyzone and later with icons such as Mandy Moore, Zac Efron, Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Blackpink’s Lisa. This strategy has helped its brands expand into territories.

The company's global expansion includes Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia.

Why Did Bryan and Amanda Liu Join the Golden ABC Family Business?

Bryan and Amanda Liu joined the Philippine family business to apply their outside experience to their own legacy, grounded by a stewardship mindset.

Upon graduation from university, Bryan had a six-month stint at a marketing company, while Amanda worked abroad for about nine months for a fashion company.

Bryan realized that the work he was doing could benefit Golden ABC. 

“What compelled me to really join was asking myself, ‘Why am I doing this work for somebody else when I could be doing it for the family business?’”

For Amanda, meanwhile, working at the company was a natural progression, inspired by hearing business talk at family meals. The family business, she shared, was very much a part of their lives. 

“My mom was someone that I looked up to a lot growing up, and seeing her work for the family business was always something that I aspired to do as well. We're always very encouraged to help give back to the company that has also provided for us all of our lives.”

Amanda said the experience of working outside the family business grounded them and kept them humble. When they joined the company, she emphasized that they started at the bottom and worked their way up. This enabled them to understand the struggles and challenges of ordinary employees.

As Bryan said, “We made our mistakes outside first and then we joined the family business.”

How Does Golden ABC Handle Succession Planning?

In January 2025, Alice Liu became the company’s president and CEO, while her husband Bernie Liu transitioned to the role of executive chairman.

Although Alice became the company’s president and CEO only last year, the succession planning began well in advance.

“They actually built the company together for the last 40 years," Bryan said. "While it was Dad who was the head, Mom was there behind him the whole time.”

He credits his father as a strong builder and founder who brought the company to where it is today over the past 40 years. His mother, Alice, on the other hand, is focused on the future, planning for the next 40 years and developing an organization that will continue to grow and thrive after their tenures.

What is Golden ABC's Core Value and Legacy DNA?

Golden ABC's core value is to stay close to the consumer, regardless of what that means, Bryan told The Business Manual.

This directive has made it easier for the siblings to evolve the brands over time, as there is a True North they can align themselves with whenever challenges arise. 

As they stepped into leadership roles within Golden ABC, the siblings faced the challenge of bringing the company’s legacy DNA - its core values, founding principles, and cultural identity - into a new world of online shopping, TikTok shops, and influencers.

Bryan explained that this DNA includes adapting marketing channels while ensuring the core consumer-centric value remains unchanged: “Whether that means we appeal to our consumers through billboards, through TV, through radio, or now through TikTok, the value is still the same,” he said.​