CENTRAL PLAZA UDONTHANI

22-years-old Nitiang or Tiang Chirathivat, traversed the sea from Hainan in the Mainland China to settle down in Siam. He married Khun Whan and had the first child, Hokseng. In that days no one could imagine that the little family would turn a new page of Thai merchant history. 

The business family began as a tiny retail outlet in Thonburi area, Bangkok. As the success of the first tiny shop, they decided to open a new shophouse with an area of 50 sq. named, "Keng Seng Lee" (baskets for sale) in Bang Khun Thien area, Bangkok to sell coffee, utensils etc. The room of the shop was also applied to tailor and barber. 

Hok Seng, Tiangs eldest son whose name in Thai, Samrit means Fortune and Success. It seemed that Samrit was brought success to their business and the family. As the eldest child of the family, he always enthusiastically helped his parents doing home business and invested with his friends on importing magazine from aboard to sell in Bangkok. 

Later, in 1927, the store moved to Charoen Krung Road, at the corner of Captain Bush Lane in Bangkok's Si Phraya district. The single unit shophouse 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.

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