President’s Message

Dear members,

Over the last one year, the Malaysian retail industry faced unprecedented circumstances in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. With all the movement restrictions instituted and the need to comply with the SOP, the retail industry has experienced significant adverse business impact. Since February Shirley Tay this year, we have

President, 2020-2022 been involved in the

Malaysia Retail Chain initiatives of Industries Association Unite in support of the continuous effort carried out by the government in aiding industries to cope with the scourge caused by the pandemic for the purpose of recovery and stabilisation. On this note, I am pleased to share that fellow retail industry leaders have had many engagements, dialogues and conferences with the Ministry of International Trade & Industry (MITI), KPDNHEP, Polis Diraja Malaysia and Kementrian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) senior officers on the clarity of the enforcement of SOPs in the retail sector.

We were also able to engage with the Ministry of Finance to propose tenant relief assistance through financial assistance for shopping mall owners and landlords, waiver of statutory payment for businesses, targeted tax incentive for retail and tourism spending and protecting businesses through the Temporary Measures for Reducing the Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Act 2020 (“COVID-19 Act”), among others. Our sincere appreciation to officials of MITI, Ministry of Finance, KPDNHEP, Police Diraja Malaysia and KKM for arranging the constructive sessions.

At MRCA, we believe that collaboration and unity are vital in addressing challenges, hence we have been partnering with our members to deliver insightful information and knowledge to all our members through webinars such as “Time to Soar”, “Health Talk: Only One Test to Say I am Ok”, and MRCA A Good Deed A Week, to name a few.

At a recent virtual conference organised by the Star Media Group, themed “The Smart Retail: Powering Nation’s Digital Economy”, I had the opportunity to share insights with prominent retail industry players and regulators on the dynamics of the industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As consumers, especially the Gen Z, revolutionise consumer trends, we as retailers, have to pivot our game plan and innovate to stay relevant to customers and the markets we serve.

Meanwhile, I would like to congratulate our 10 members who were among the top winners at The Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2020. They won a total of 21 awards in various categories.

I would also like to thank Dato’ Sri Dr How Kok Choong, Co-chairman of Vettons Sdn Bhd for hosting the MRCA CEO Get-together recently. It was an opportunity for our members to collaborate with Vettons, an e-commerce company, to expand their reach towards more digital-savvy consumers and leverage on Vettons’ online assets, expertise and features.

The MRCA Women Division committee members recently made a RM12,700 contribution in cash and kind to Home of Peace in line with MRCA’s “A Good Deed A Week” charity campaign, initiated by the MRCA CHARITY COMMITTEE, to spread love and good cheer to the needy. I would like to thank many of our members who have generously contributed to this campaign.

The Women Division has initiated the Single Mother Development Programme to continue helping single mothers to improve their lives. The aim of this CSR project is to help single mothers to be selfsufficient and independent by providing them the necessary coaching & training on mindset, knowledge and skills job opportunities.

We have scheduled the launch of our F&B Division on 25th May. More information will be released in due course. We are also planning to organise several major events such as the MRCA Council Installation Night, CEO Night, MRCA Anniversary Dinner and Charity Golf. Meanwhile, we have also revamped the MRCA website to ensure that important announcements and relevant news in all areas of interest will reach the members in a timely manner.

As we all work together towards the restoration of business and the economy in Malaysia, let’s continue to keep abreast with the latest developments, especially in technology such as online retail platforms, e-pos, customer tracking tools and predictive analytics (Big Data).

Enjoy the latest issue of our publication and I look forward to seeing all of you at our events. Stay safe!