Co Ban Kiat Hardware, Inc. formalized the appointment of CBS China Bank Savings as the financial services partner of the 102-year-old business. Makati-based CBS is the retail arm of China Banking Corporation, which was founded in the same year as the CBK Hardware, Inc. business.
CBK Hardware, Inc., best known as the premier hardware and home improvement solutions provider, has tapped CBS for the CBS Easi-Funds Salary Loans facility as part of its employee benefits package.
“Our partnership with CBS signifies our continuous commitment to providing our employees with tools and services that will not only make their work lives better but also their personal lives as well,“ CBK Hardware, Inc. Vice President for Human & Financial Capital Management Anna Loraine Soriaga said.
The CBS Easi-Funds Salary Loans facility provides qualified CBK employees with quick access to cash up to P1 million for their emergency and personal needs.
"The Co Ban Kiat brand is synonymous with heritage, integrity, and reliability," CBS District head and Binondo Branch manager Joy T. Rillera said.
"CBS China Bank Savings is honored by this partnership with the Co Ban Kiat corporate family as part of our Bank's Build and Rise national advocacy to empower consumers and to support homegrown enterprises, which are needed for rapid economic recovery."
Co Ban Kiat: Part of the Country's Heritage
CBK Hardware, Inc. has been at the forefront of home building supplies for over a century. The brand started in the 1920s when family patriarch Co Ban Kiat acquired the business and began operations along Calle Rosario (present-day Quintin Paredes Street). The hardware business resumed operations after the 1945 Battle of Manila, which razed large sections of the capital.
In 1949, the business made its recovery, and the family was able to rebuild the pre-war CBK Building in its original site, not far from the recently-opened CBS China Bank Savings Binondo Branch. Though the heritage structure no longer exists, details of the company address such as its original glass panels with the gold gilt company name can be found at the Co Ban Kiat Building II along Juan Luna Street, a few doors down from the (restored) China Bank headquarters. The second Co Ban Kiat Building, acquired by the company in 2011, is a restored art deco structure formerly known as the SJ Wilson Building. Built in 1937, the architectural landmark housed the Manila Stock Exchange and the Japanese Consulate General.
CBK Hardware, Inc. is now one of the largest suppliers of quality hardware, construction, and home improvement products. Now a household name when it comes to industrial, construction, and home improvements, CBK Hardware, Inc. aims to make everything better by bringing the world’s biggest brands to Filipino homes.
