| Cebuana Lhuillier | |
| Hq Location City: | Makati, Metro Manila |
| Hq Location Country: | Philippines |
| Key People: | Philippe Jones Lhullier Jean Henri D. Lhuillier |
Cebuana Lhuillier Pawnshop (formerly known as Agencia Cebuana) commonly known as Cebuana, is a Philippine-based pawnshop and the flagship brand of PJ Lhuillier Group of Companies. Jean Henri Lhuillier is the current President and CEO of Cebuana.
Cebuana Lhuillier is a non-banking financial institution offering services such as pawn-broking, money remittance, insurance, bills payment, remit-to-account, corporate payout, collections, and e-loading. It is headquartered in Makati.
Cebuana Lhuillier Pawnshop began with four pawnshop outlets in Metro Manila in the mid-1980s.[1]
In 1968, Philippe Jones Lhuillier, Henry Lhuillier's son, opened the first Lhuillier pawnshop at Libertad Street in Pasay under the trade name Agencia Cebuana.
It traces its roots to Cebu, where then-French Consul to the Philippines, Henry Lhuillier established his first chain of Agencias in 1935. Throughout the 70's and 80's, Philippe Jones Lhuillier opened more agencies in Metro Manila.
The company pursued further nationwide expansion in 1987 and adopted the trade name, “Cebuana Lhuillier.”
In 1998, Philippe Jones Lhuillier was appointed the Philippine Ambassador to Italy. Philippe Jones Lhuillier's son, Jean Henri Lhuillier, took the helm and became Cebuana Lhuillier Pawnshop's president and chief executive officer in the same year.
Jean Henri Lhuillier introduced Cebuana Lhuillier Pawnshop's auxiliary services remittance, insurance, bills payment, money changer, e-load, remit-to-account, corporate payout, and collections service.
It also became the first pawnshop and money remittance company to offer a membership rewards program for its clients in 2010. In the following year, Cebuana Lhuillier branches hit the 1,500 mark. In 2014, the firm started to reach out to potential customers in areas with limited access through its Cebuana Lhuillier On Wheels.
The firm owns several teams in the PBA D-League (Cebuana Lhuillier Gems), Metropolitan Basketball Association (Cebu Gems) & Philippine Basketball League (Lhuillier Jewelers). CL has also organised tennis tournaments such as Cebuana Lhuillier Age Group Tennis.[2]
The firm has its own foundation, the Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation Inc., which conducts medical missions, relief operations for disaster-stricken areas, and feedings programs. It also has a nationwide scholarship program and Alternative Learning System community learning centers.