Kiddy Palace

WHEN Kiddy Palace first opened its doors at Northpoint shopping centre in 1992, "the landlord wanted more than just a general store, which was our family business then", says its chief executive Ong Tze Hsiung, 34.

Mr Ong, who was just 20 then, pushed for the new concept of a children's department store. "We decided to be a 'one-stop' shop catering to the changing needs of mothers from the time of pregnancy to the time their children reach their pre-teens," he says.

It invested heavily in a big shopfront and an impressive variety of products. Today, business is brisk in Kiddy Palace's 10 retail outlets in Singapore, with more than 85,000 sq ft of retail space.

The company has since evolved to meet higher consumer expectations. Mr Ong says: "Our customers want quality products and services. Given our knowledge and experience, we began sourcing regionally and developing our own line of products to combine affordability with exclusivity of designs."

The company's efforts in research and development bore fruit in 2001 with the first in-house brand Andrea Leonard. Its success led to a second brand, Max-Kool, which began as a maternity line and eventually expanded to include infant and children apparel.

The company recently opened a new 11,000 sq ft outlet in Century Square in Tampines. A third in-house apparel collection for children, Sun Surf, was also launched.

These in-house lines are a fitting launch pad for Kiddy Palace to move into the global retail business. Mr Ong plans to create greater awareness and brand loyalty for the products.

To ensure exceptional service, he engages in-house trainers, professional consultants as well as suppliers to equip his sales team with the appropriate product knowledge. "Most of our sales personnel also have children of their own and thus relate better to the needs of our customers," he says.

In January 2005, Kiddy Palace was registered as a certified on-the-job (OJT) training centre by the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). Mr Ong says: "The OJT system motivates employees through the issue of OJT certificates jointly endorsed by ITE and the company."

This year, it was awarded the People Developer Standard by Spring Singapore for its efforts in developing people excellence.

Success comprises establishing good branding, people excellence within the company and social entrepreneurship. "My personal key to successful entrepreneurship is to be passionate and enjoy what I am doing," he adds.

Kiddy Palace has been winning the Enterprise 50 award for five consecutive years since 2003. Says Mr Ong: "By taking part in the E50 awards, we benchmark ourselves against the very best companies in Singapore. It is very meaningful as it gives us a great sense of achievement and the desire to excel. With the stringent assessment criteria, it makes us think through key issues that we might not have thought about if we had not taken part in the award."

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