At 40, Hanabishi keeps up with the times
Forty years after finding its way into Filipino homes, Hanabishi is looking for a place in those of a new generation.
What Jose and Conchita Ong began as a simple family business selling flat irons has grown into one of the Philippines’ more diverse and accessible appliance brands, becoming a staple in countless Filipino homes, many of which have perhaps thought they had bought a Japanese brand.
Now led by the Ong children—Jasper, Jevon, Candice and Cherish—the brand born in 1986 is trying to keep up with the times by courting younger generations, particularly those enamored with the “living alone” life, whether in their own dorm rooms, condominium units or first apartments.
Hanabishi is chasing that market with a lineup that has grown well beyond flat irons to electric fans, LED television sets, chest freezers and air conditioners, all the way down to handheld mini fans.
Through it all, the company has sought to maintain its identity as a no-frills, reliable brand, making good on its promise of delivering “quality that grows with you.” But growing with its customers leaves plenty of room for innovation, too.
After all, as the old adage goes, life begins at 40.
“To keep the trust alive through market shifts, we had to learn how to evolve together without losing who we are,” said Jasper Ong, Hanabishi’s president, at the company’s 40th anniversary celebration.
Market shifts
That has meant adapting to wherever the Filipino consumer takes them.
There is the younger generation’s current fondness for all things retro and minimalist, for one, as well as the more practical shift toward smaller appliances that make sense in equally smaller living spaces.
Hanabishi’s newer offerings include handheld fans and coffee-making essentials such as an “aesthetic” gooseneck kettle. It has also introduced its minimalist, retro-looking Legacy kettle with younger consumers in mind.
The company has even ventured into pop culture, rolling out a special-edition mini fan with BT21, the character brand associated with South Korean pop group BTS.
But Hanabishi acknowledges that winning over younger generations has become harder. Cheap, little-known appliance brands sold through online marketplaces have added another layer of competition.
Hanabishi admitted initially feeling the impact, but believes consumers will eventually see the difference. Its answer is to lean on something difficult for any newcomer to replicate: four decades of familiarity.
So far, Hanabishi said its sales continue to grow every year, helped in part by the dealers it supplies expanding deeper into the provinces and into second- and third-tier cities. Today, Hanabishi products are available in more than 2,500 outlets nationwide.
Surviving crises
But turning 40 has come in a particularly difficult year.
Dealers have grown more cautious amid the oil crisis, while higher fuel costs and a weaker peso are squeezing Hanabishi itself. And because the company sources its products from China, foreign exchange has become one of its biggest cost pressures.
Hanabishi said it has tried to absorb as much of the increase as it can rather than immediately pass everything on to consumers, although some price increases have become unavoidable.
Still, the Ongs remain optimistic about the Philippine market. Their dealers continue to expand, while a young population means more Filipinos will eventually move into apartments, condominium units and houses and need appliances of their own.
That leaves Hanabishi with the balancing act of changing enough to keep up with its customers without shedding the qualities that earned their trust in the first place.
But lest one mistake keeping up with the times for reinventing the wheel, the Ongs insist there are parts of the business they would rather leave alone.
Even with their parents having long stepped away from the family business, Jasper believes Hanabishi remains true to what they built: something sturdy and accessible to Filipino households, regardless of age and across generations.
“Everything we’ve built since has simply been standing on what they (parents) started—the wheel they invented,” Jasper said. “And believe me, that wheel has been through a full cycle, much like a washing machine. We have been through the wash, the rinse and the spin more than once.”
“We survived the financial crisis, the pandemic, with everything shutting down. Now the oil crisis,” he added. “But you know what stayed open? Us.”
