Beginning
Central Group opened the Central Superstore at the Wong Sawang intersection in 1993 as a Central Department Store subsidiary. It began selling groceries from Central Supermarket and private label clothing from Central Department Store and Central Trading, under the self-service store concept. The Big C brand was first launched on 15 January 1994, the name being an abbreviation of "Big Central". The first Big C store was opened on Chaengwattana Road in Bangkok.
1990s
Save One Rangsit was changed to the Big C Supercenter in 1995, and was the chain's first store outside Bangkok. The same year, Central Superstore Company Limited changed its name to Big C Supercenter Public Company Limited, and was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET code: BIGC) with S.K. Garment PLC holding a majority stake.
Big C launched the single floor store concept at Bangphlee in 1996, integrating a super center with the enormous floor space of 12,000 square meters and a well-designed layout and decorations to facilitate shopping convenience. The highly efficient design function contributed significantly to lower operating costs.
Merger with Groupe Casino
After the Asian financial crisis of 1997, Big C Supercenter Public Company Limited decided to form a business alliance with France-based Groupe Casino, known for its Géant stores. Groupe Casino bought 530 million shares of a capital increase in 1999, making them the largest shareholder after the company's recapitalization. After securing the controlling stake in Big C, Groupe Casino decided to sell Big C's entire garment business in order to concentrate only on the retail activity and strengthen the efficiency of the current operation.