For more than 100 years, Co Ban Kiat (CBK) Hardware Inc. kept its reputation as the most reliable distributor of hardware and home improvement items in the Philippines. Headed by Johnny Cobankiat, the company aims to make the lives of Filipinos much better with a continuous supply of top-of-the-line home and hardware solutions.
Co Ban Kiat Hardware Inc. started as a humble store in 1920 in the heart of Binondo, Manila’s Chinatown, with the belief to provide Filipinos access to quality products. Over the years, it transformed into a huge corporation that is now dubbed the “House of Home Improvements.”
Thanks to CBK Hardware, Filipinos no longer have to settle for cheap and low-quality products when it comes to meeting their needs at home or in the office. While the branded items they sell are expensive, the company actually gives Filipinos the chance to save money as high-quality products last longer than cheaper ones. This means you won’t need to buy the same product over and over again— the situation you’ll probably have if you went with cheaper items.
But how did CBK Hardware, which had modest beginnings, turn into one of the prime suppliers of first-rate, life-improving hardware and home improvement materials in the Philippines? Let’s talk about one event in the Philippines’ history and how it affected CBK Hardware’s mission.
Way back on Dec. 8, 1941, Japan made a surprise attack on the Philippines, just 10 hours after Pearl Harbor was bombed. It began with an aerial strike and was followed by the arrival of Japanese ground troops on the north and south sides of Manila. Because of the inability of the Philippine and American troops to fight back and protect the city, the Japanese occupied Manila on January 2, 1942.
The war between the Japanese troops and the United States-Philippine forces in the country lasted for several years until Japan’s formal surrender on September 2, 1945. By the time the fight was over, the Philippines suffered great loss of life and massive physical destruction. A million Filipinos were estimated to have been killed, most of them during the final months of the war, and Manila was severely destroyed.
Despite the tremendous damage caused by World War II, CBK Hardware managed to recover in 1948, rebuilding a storefront on the exact location where it served Filipinos for three decades. This was around the time when the business thought of introducing a concept unheard of in the hardware market—the retail concept, and the Hardware Workshop Store is the result of this attempt.
The launching of this hardware chain happened because of Atilano Cobankiat’s mission to help Filipinos rebuild their homes and establishments, and it wasn’t to gain profits. To accomplish the mission, the business brought world-class hardware and building materials to the Philippines.
CBK Hardware expanded its distribution channel with the establishment of Coby’s Design Center in Edsa Shangri La in 1996. Offering a lavish line of innovative products, the store aims to address the escalating demand for high-end architectural hardware products of modern-day Filipinos.
A year later, the business developed further with the leadership of Johnny Cobankiat, the son of Atilano Cobankiat. He brought giant hardware to the country—ACE Hardware USA and signed up CBK Hardware as one of its direct suppliers.
Since then, Co Ban Kiat Hardware Inc. consistently expanded its products by partnering with more global brands. The company is currently the authorized dealer and distributor of a total of 72 renowned brands of builders’ hardware and home improvement products in the world. Among them are Lincoln Electric, Yale, Ridgid, Pelican, Nilfisk, Stanley, 3M, Interdesign, Shop-Vac, Westinghouse, KEF, Bosch, Gateman, and Master Lock.
These brands are all being distributed across the Philippines to meet the needs of customers in terms of home and facility improvement, D.I.Y projects, energy conservation, security and safety, cleaning solutions, and others.
At present, CBK Hardware supplies more than 3,500 corporations, 2,000 partners in wholesale trade, and some 200 mall-based modern retail stores offering home improvement products such as ceiling fans, drain cleaning machines, and vacuum cleaners.
Additionally, the company has over 6,000 active SKUs, and a regular client network of more than 1,500 industrial organizations, 1,600 traditional community hardware stores, and 584 home-building specialty chain stores scattered in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
And since we’re in an era where different online selling platforms have emerged, this 102-year-old company seeks to strengthen its presence on Lazada Lazmall, Shopee Mall, Facebook, Instagram, and Viber communities. It has also made its products available for same-day delivery through different apps like Grabmart, Pick A Roo and Metromart.
Even after 100 years, Con Ban Kiat Hardware Inc. will strive to hold onto its title, “House of Home Improvements,” by acquiring more local and global brands and making their high-quality products accessible to every Filipino.
CBK Online and Store
For over 100 years, Co Ban Kiat Hardware Inc. has been the most trusted distributor of home improvement and hardware items in the Philippines.
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Co Ban Kiat Hardware, Inc.
Ground Floor, Cobankiat Building II
231 Juan Luna St. Binondo Manila, Philippines.
Phone +632 8243-1931
Phone +632 8242-6925
Phone +632 8894-6561 & +638-272-931-981
Email [email protected]; [email protected]
Coby’s Design Center
Unit 467 level 4 Shangri-La Plaza
Edsa Corner Shaw Boulevard
Mandaluyong City, Philippines
Phone +632 86364895
About CBK Hardware
For over one hundred years, a family’s surname has become synonymous with the country’s biggest hardware supply company. Co Ban Kiat Hardware Incorporated of the Cobankiat family has a regular client network of more than 1,500 industrial organizations, 1,600 traditional community hardware stores, and 584 home building specialty chains of stores across Luzon Visayas and Mindanao. This ever-growing conglomerate traces its humble roots to Manila Chinatown, as a pioneer enterprise started by the family’s patriarch, Mr. Cobankiat, in 1920. Despite the ruins of World War II, the business got back to its feet in 1948, rebuilding a storefront from the very same spot where it was known for three decades.
While the Filipinos continued to rebuild their lives post-war, CBK Hardware saw the opportunity to introduce the retail concept once unheard of in the hardware industry. Cobankiat Hardware brought the first DIY business in Asia. The Hardware Workshop Store is the fruit of this endeavor. CBK Hardware further cemented its legendary distribution channel with the creation of Coby’ Design Center in Edsa Shangri La in 1996, a specialty store that caters to the discriminating taste of modern Filipinos.
In 1997, Mr. Johnny Cobankiat, the 4th generation Cobankiat leader, set another milestone for the company when he brought the franchise of Ace Hardware USA to the Philippines and signed up CBK Hardware as one of its major suppliers. This further expanded into delivering quality world-class products nearer to families of Filipino overseas workers in the countryside.
A century’s excellence can quickly pass and guided by the vision to be the largest network supplier of the biggest global brands in the hardware industry, CBK Hardware resolves to source the best products to supply its customers anytime and every time.
