Burlington eyes Southeast Asian markets

Business World

BURLINGTON Industries Philippines, Inc., the local trademark owner and maker of Burlington socks, wants to expand its market to Southeast Asian countries.

“Brand innovation” will continue before tapping overseas markets in the next three to five years, an executive said.

“We are looking at Southeast Asian markets,” Ruddy Tan, general manager of Burlington Industries, said in an interview. “If you want to grow, you can always look at other countries that are starting to grow more like Thailand and Vietnam,” Mr. Tan added.

The Philippine trademark owner of Burlington, Bally, Camp, BioFresh, and Puma is one of the top manufacturers and sellers of socks in the country. Burlington Industries makes sports socks, dress socks, trouser socks, casual socks for men, stockings for ladies, and school socks for children.

Mr. Tan said the company will venture abroad in the medium term after studying overseas markets and choosing partners and distributors.

“We are trying to innovate our products and put in more value. We have to always convince [the market] that our product [is good],” Mr. Tan said.

The firm recently launched BioFresh, which claims to eliminate 99.9% of bacteria and other foot odor-causing microbes.

Burlington Industries was incorporated in 1967 as Miloro Manufacturing Corp., producing socks and accessories for men, women, and children. In 1993, it changed its name to Burlington Industries.

Mr. Tan said the company manufactures roughly 5,000 dozens of socks per day. It has some 400 workers in its Makati factory. -- Neil Jerome C. Morales