Roberto Claudio Sr. and Roberto “Toby” Claudio Jr. are more than just father and son. They are also partners in business.

Under the elder Claudio’s guidance, Toby’s Sport’s has become the leading sports store in the country. And when the time came for junior to help in the family venture, his son eagerly and enthusiastically joined the business.

Besides, Toby’s was named for the younger Claudio, so it was only appropriate—perhaps even expected—that he took his place in the sports chain’s organization.

Toby’s started as a toy store in Virra Mall, Greenhills in 1978, selling mainly Mickey Mouse and other Disney products. Its original name was Toby’s Form and Shapes. Claudio Sr., the chairman of the company, said the rationale behind the shift to a sports store was because the toys were not selling well on a regular basis.

“After one year, we’ve observed that the toy business was a seasonal thing. But we still continued to sell the toys,” he says.

Toby’s arguably revolutionized the merchandising of sporting goods as it introduced the sports-chain concept in local retailing. In the early days, Claudio Sr. recalls, stores specializing in sporting goods were centered in Gonzalo Puyat Street (formerly Raon) in Quiapo. But things have to change as far as shopping for sporting goods is concerned, he adds. Thus, he started tinkering on a concept for a sports store that provides the proper ambiance and comfort to customers, which the stores in Raon could not provide.

In 1982 the Claudios made the big leap when they shifted into sports and renamed the store. Toby’s also started selling a wide array of sports apparel, shoes and accessories. The following year it was incorporated under the name Quorom International Inc. as it continued to expand and introduce the sports-chain concept in the Philippines. And in 1988 it created a trading division called Sports Resources Inc., which concentrated on the domestic manufacture of sports items.

Today, Toby’s has about 36 branches around the Philippines.

The founder of Toby’s admits that sports became his obsession when he was a kid—but for a unique reason. “When I was young, I was anemic. Whenever I indulged into sports, my body couldn’t withstand the rigors,” recalls Claudio, who, for a time, got hooked on pelota before shifting to golf.

To make sure that his children will not experience the same fate, he encouraged and motivated them to indulge into sports at an early age. “I wanted to make sure that my children won’t experience the same situation I had when I was young,” he explains.

Claudio Jr., the eldest and now the vice president of Toby’s, gamely responded to the call of his father to get into sports. When the family stayed in the US for some time, father and son regularly attended live sporting events such as the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and National Football League, among others.

The young Claudio engaged in a variety of sports, including baseball, tennis, biking, basketball and other sports. He was even a Little League player in school.

When he entered college at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, he actually tried out for the baseball team of the Maroons. Having exposure in the Little League in the US, he thought he should give it a try, just to find out if his baseball skills are good enough for the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) games.

“It was so funny. I’d never thought of playing competitive baseball when I came back from the US. One day I saw the baseball team of UP practicing in the Sunken Garden. At that time, I decided to try out and got accepted. I played for the UP baseball team as a shortstop for four years from my freshman until my senior year,” he recalls.

He also tried badminton and eventually golf, although he adds that he also likes mountain climbing and other extreme sports.

For the young Claudio, sports played an important role growing up in the US. Having classmates who were taller and heftier than him, he realized that he must be fit so he can compete with them during sporting activities.

Realizing the value of sports as inculcated by his father, Claudio said it helped him develop confidence and enhanced his competitive spirit.

Given their mutual love for sports, Claudio Sr. didn’t have a hard time convincing his son to join him in the business and continue building the Toby’s brand.

“It really helped a lot that my Dad exposed me to sports at a young age,” the young Claudio says.

For Claudio Sr., sports serve as a bonding element among family members, citing the popularity of badminton as a sport that helps strengthen ties between family members.

He also believes sports go beyond the traditional physical aspects. For him, sports help build character.

“It develops honesty, time management and sportsmanship,” he says.

“For me, a healthy child engaged in sports is a healthy citizen. And a healthy citizen is a productive citizen,” he adds.

And this, in a way, is what Toby’s really sells—not just badminton rackets or basketball shoes. Up to now, Claudio Sr. admits he is continuously thinking of ways to promote and emphasize the value of sports to Filipino families in terms of both bonding and physical fitness.

Looking back, Claudio Sr. says training his son in joining the business was a work in progress. He recalls the young boy playing with his skateboard at Toby’s after classes in La Salle Greenhills. After work, father and son went home together.

“As early as Grade Two, I already had this feeling that I would be building my career here in Toby’s,” the son says.

“I am very grateful that our family entered the sporting business because I don’t think I’d be happier doing anything else.”

Father & Son & Co.: The Claudios

Roberto Claudio Sr. and Roberto “Toby” Claudio Jr. are more than just father and son. They are also partners in business.

Under the elder Claudio’s guidance, Toby’s Sport’s has become the leading sports store in the country. And when the time came for junior to help in the family venture, his son eagerly and enthusiastically joined the business.

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