In 1927, 22-year-old Tiang Chirathivat, an immigrant from mainland China, started a store in Bangkok named "Keng Seng Lee" or "baskets for sale", which was the start of an emporium.[1]
Later that year, the store moved to Charoen Krung Road, in Bangkok's Si Phraya District. The store sold a large variety of local and international newspapers and magazines and carried the name "Central Trading Store". This was the first chapter of Central Department Stores' history.[1]
In the 1950s, the company grew with more and more stores selling different items. It was one few stores in Bangkok that had the courage to order imported goods for sale and was the first to set up merchandising displays.[2]
In 1973, the Chidlom store opened under the new "one stop shopping" concept. Here, customers could come to Central and buy everything they needed under one roof.[3]
In 1981, the Central Lad Ya Branch opened its doors and was the largest of its kind then.[4] Later in 1983 Central Ladprao opened its doors and was the largest shopping mall in Thailand at that time.[5]
By 2010 Central operated 15 stores in Thailand and planned to open more.[7]
In 2019, Central announced that it plans to spend at least 10 billion baht between 2020 and 2024 to renovate 20 of its stores into a "lifestyle" concept, following the renaming of Zen, Central's lifestyle trend megastore brand, into Central. The CentralWorld branch will serve as the prototype of Central's new concept. For the first phase, Central Chidlom and two Central stores in CentralPlaza Ladprao and CentralPlaza Rama II will be renovated in 2020.[8]
After Robinson Department Store was merged into Central, it was transferred to be under the management of Central Department Store.
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