Malaysia Retailer|Vol 7|No 4|2019|MyWorld by Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd

Vol 7 No 4 2019

MYWORLD Flies High with Fintech Exploring Business Opportunities in Shanghai

WM RM9 / EM RM11

Datuk Dr Tan Hang Ming, Sunny Founder, Group Managing Director & CEO

MRCA Corporate Patrons

Event

A-5-2, 3, 3A, Level 5, Block A, Sky Park One City, Jalan USJ25/1, 47650 Subang Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 603-5882 4333 Fax: 1 700 810 950 Website: www.mrca.org.my PRESIDENT Datuk Seri Garry K.S. Chua ROTOL FOOD-CHAIN (M) SDN BHD

FOUNDER PRESIDENT Dato’ Eddie Choon POH KONG HOLDINGS BHD

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Dato’ Liaw Choon Liang, JP FOCUS POINT HOLDINGS BHD

PRESIDENT COUNCIL Dato’ Eddie Choon POH KONG HOLDINGS BHD Datuk Albert Chiang BONIA CORPORATION BHD Datuk Lee Hwa Cheng SINMA JEWELLERY CENTRE SDN BHD Dato’ Tay Sim Kim OSIM (M) SDN BHD H.E. Datuk Seri Nelson Kwok, JP HONORARY CONSUL OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE TO MALAYSIA NELSON’S FRANCHISE (M) SDN BHD Dato’ Liaw Choon Liang, JP FOCUS POINT HOLDINGS BHD Datuk Seri Garry K.S. Chua ROTOL FOOD-CHAIN (M) SDN BHD

DEPUTY PRESIDENT Dato’ Vincent Choo Kok Leong URBAN IDEA SDN BHD VICE PRESIDENTS Dato’ Liew Bin BRILLIANT MERCHANDISING SDN BHD Valerie Choo Yoke Shiem SIMPLY AWESOME SDN BHD Shirley Tay Bee Koo SUNRIDER INTERNATIONAL (M) SDN BHD Datuk Seri Dr. Chai Kee Kan KK SUPERMART & SUPERSTORE SDN BHD SECRETARY GENERAL Ken Phua Cheng Chuen BENTLEY MUSIC SDN BHD DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL Dato’ Bruce Lim Aun Choong SKILLS JOHOR SDN BHD TREASURER GENERAL Dato’ Alex Wong Che Sing HAP SENG STAR SDN BHD DEPUTY TREASURER GENERAL Dato’ Winnie Lim Yoke Chin SOLUTION RISK CONSULTANTS SDN BHD COUNCIL MEMBERS Seak Thean Pow BAGUS CURTAIN SDN BHD Dato’ Choi Wei Yee SUNLIGHT TAXI SDN BHD Dato’ Syed Kamarulzaman Dato’ Syed Zainol Khodki Shahabudin PERBADANAN NASIONAL BERHAD Dato’ Dr Edmund Lee Kim Hock KLUANG STATION F & B SDN BHD Datin Flora Tan Joo Hua TRANSTEL TECHNOLOGY (M) SDN BHD William Tang Chee Weng THE STORE CORPORATION BERHAD Brian Tham Jee Ping WATATIME (M) SDN BHD Nicholas Chong Kah Yean YFS CORPORATE (M) SDN BHD Jeff Yong Chun Loong KIMMA SDN BHD Raymond Woo Hai Shiang ARORI (M) SDN BHD Sharan Valiram VALIRAM TRADING SDN BHD Jason Woo Wee Yoong CLARA INTERNATIONAL BEAUTY GROUP SDN BHD Malaysia Retailer Vol 4 No1

BOARD OF ADVISORS Dato’ Dr. Jennifer Low, JP GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR, QUILL GROUP OF COMPANIES Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai CHAIRMAN, TOP GLOVE CORPORATION BHD Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Leong Hoy Kum GROUP MD, MAH SING GROUP BHD Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Barry Goh Ming Choon CHAIRMAN OF MCT BHD Tan Sri Datuk Tee Hock Seng JP GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR OF BINA PURI HOLDINGS BHD Tan Sri Datuk Ter Leong Yap EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN SUNSURIA BHD PRESIDENT’S ADVISOR Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Tang Yeam Soon THE STORE CORPORATION BERHAD PRESIDENT’S ADVISOR FOR EVENT & PR Tan Sri Datuk Danny Ooi D’TOUCH INTERNATIONAL SDN BHD LEGAL ADVISORS Datuk Ringo Low RINGO LOW & ASSOCIATES Dato’ Dr Manjit Singh MANJIT SINGH SACHDEV, MOHAMMAD RADZI & PARTNERS HONORARY AUDITOR Dato’ Sri Raymond Liew Lee Leong MCMILLAN WOODS Datin Yap Shin Siang YYC GST CONSULTANTS SDN BHD OTHER FOUNDING MEMBERS Dato’ Chin See Keat Wong Chee How

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Publisher/CEO V.S. Ganesan Senior Editor Vimala Seneviratne Editor Rachael Philip Contributing Editor Khaw Chia Hui Creative Designer Goh Wei Lee Advertising Consultant Faridah Ismail Marketing Manager Karthik Ganesan Operations Manager G. Revathi PRINTER PERCETAKAN LAGENDA SDN BHD (406003-A) No. 2, Jalan Gangsa SD5/3E, Sri Damansara Industrial Park, 52200 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 603-6273 6599 Fax: 603-6273 6606 DISTRIBUTOR MPH DISTRIBUTORS SDN BHD (MALAYSIA) (5048-A) Ground Floor, Bangunan TH, No 5, Jalan Bersatu 13/4, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Tel: 603-7958 1688 Fax: 603-7956 5995 Email: distributors@mph.com.my All articles featured in Malaysia Retailer magazine represent the personal views of contributors and are not necessarily those of MRCA & Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd. All writers automatically agree to indemnify MRCA and Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd against any loss, costs, expenses (including legal fees), damages and liabilities that might arise from their own incapacity, negligence, breach of contract or other civil misdeeds. We reserve the right to edit all articles. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2019 by MRCA and Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. MRCA and Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photography, illustration and other editorial materials.

President’s Message Dear esteemed members,

Datuk Seri Garry KS Chua, President, 2016-Present, Malaysia Retail Chain Association

The year is almost drawing to an end and, I say this with pride, that it has been a hectic one for the association. From conferences to launches and trade missions, MRCA has delivered to its members in the form of valuable insights, knowledge and opportunities so that they can pursue their goals. It also fills me with great pride to note that it has been a record-breaking year for the association. Our membership level as of October 2019 stands at an all-time high of 521. This shows the growing confidence the retail industry and its players have on the association. MRCA, meanwhile, will continue to engage its members in the coming years with regular training, seminars and other educational projects, as well as overseas business opportunities and study tours. One such trip was the recent trade mission to Shanghai. It saw 25 delegates embarking on a five-day visit to the CCFA China Franchise Expo where MRCA signed a MoU with the organiser, Starbuck Reserve Roastery, TusStar, the Freshippo supermarket and JD.com’s logistics hub, among other. It was a successful trip. We returned with ideas for our businesses as well as alliances made on this trip. I would like to thank YB Chong Cheng Jen, Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs of Malaysia (KPDNHEP) who witnessed the MoU signing ceremony. Thank you also to Dato’ Winnie Lim, the Organising Chaiman, for successfully organising this trip. One way of engaging our members is through get-togethers, such as our annual anniversary dinner. This year, despite these challenging times, we saw better-than-expected support from sponsors and I would like to thank them for their continued support. About 100 tables have been taken up and I would like to thank MRCA Deputy President Datuk Vincent Choo and his committee for organising an excellent event, themed Be A Star. The year ends with two important events – the MRCA Charity Dinner and the MRCA Charity Run. Our previous events have seen gracious support from members and friends. I trust this year will not be different. Finally I am proud to say that I was invited on behalf of MRCA to attend numerous functions as keynote speaker, moderator and guest of honour. This speaks volumes about MRCA which is now recognised as an influential association, one whose voice must be heard. Some of the events I attended as a speaker were the 2019 Malaysia Economic and Strategic Outlook for Forum, 1st ISI Ministerial Dialogue with Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Malaysia, Smart Retail SEA 2019, Lazada WeCommerce 2019 and Malaysia SME Business Summit. I was the moderator at the Council of Asian Shopping Centres conference and a keynote speaker at the Business Comes Alive Conference – Intel. I look forward to 2020 and anticipate the MRCA contributing positively to the society and within our community. Last but not least I am grateful for the support, advice and ideas from the Presidential Council, Board of Advisors, council members as well as well as our members for helping MRCA to scale greater heights.

“ENRICHING MEMBERS FOR THE FUTURE”

Malaysia Retailer Vol 7 No 3

CONTENTS / VOL. 7 NO. 4

Delegates Explore Business Opportunities In Shanghai

DEPARTMENT

3 President’s Message

Tropicana Golf and Country Resort: Putt-ing a Fresh Angle into Golfing

EVENT

1 Utama Goes Cashless

32 Sultan of Selangor Opens Central i-City in Shah Alam

COVER STORY

8 MYWORLD Flies High with FINTECH

ON THE COVER

New technology, new applications and new ideas are needed as Malaysia moves towards a cashless society and Datuk Dr Tan Hang Ming, Founder, Group Managing Director and CEO says that MyWorld International Berhad has all these to offer.

FEATURES

12 Strengthening Malaysia-China Trade Relationship

Datuk Dr Tan Hang Ming, Sunny Founder, Group Managing Director & CEO of MYWORLD Photography: YC Chu

Malaysia Retailer Vol 4 No 1

14 Delegates Explore Business Opportunities In Shanghai

22 SnT Global Logistics Sdn Bhd Takes You from A to Z

24 Maserati Ghibli – a Bold

Statement, Elegantly Delivered

26 Zeal Systems, a Leading Expert in Retail Solutions

28 Royal Visitors at RHB Art

with Heart 2019 Exhibition

30 Tropicana Golf and Country

Resort: Putt-ing a Fresh Angle into Golfing

33 Topping-out Ceremony of Menara Hap Seng 3

34 1 Utama Goes Cashless 35 F&B Trio Sign MoU 36 Travel & Razzle 37 MRCA in the Media

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Cover Story

Malaysia Retailer Vol 7 No 4

with FinTech

New technology, new applications and new ideas are needed as Malaysia moves towards a cashless society. Datuk Dr Tan Hang Ming, Founder, Group Managing Director and CEO tells RACHAEL PHILIP that MyWorld International Berhad has all this to offer. ewards programmes are one of life’s greatest paradoxes. Who does not like being “rewarded” for spending money? The very idea is so tantalising and frustrating at the same time. For the average Malaysian, it takes forever to collect points large enough to get a useful electrical appliance. Some settle for small unattractive gifts that only serve to clutter the house. Enter MyWorld Rewards. For every ringgit spent you get a ringgit in reward; for every ringgit that is placed into the card, MyWorld will match that amount in bonuses. Too good to be true? It seems like this is what MyWorld is aiming for, a deal that is too good AND true. “We have a very enthusiastic and extremely creative team in our workforce. They come up with programmes which, I can safely say, is the best in town,” said Datuk Dr Tan Hang Ming, Founder, Group Managing Director and CEO of MyWorld International Berhad.

BEST IN TOWN PLANS SDCC Group was created when Datuk Tan left a public listed company in 1998 to start his own business doing International loyalty programmesCard Connection International (CCI) as Malaysia Master Franchisee. “Six years ago, we expanded our programme into the region and restructured with new shareholders.

Restructuring was necessary because by 2013 the company had advanced into the fintech business. MyWorld Holdings Berhad and its subsidiaries were then established. “We secured a programme partner license to issue Visa prepaid cards. So, from just doing loyalty and membership, we are now able to do payments,” said Datuk Dr Tan. All these three services – loyalty, membership and payments – were officially rolled out in 2014. The first programme, Friends of Malaysia, was officially launched by the Minister of Tourism Malaysia in Tokyo, Japan. This coincided with Visit Malaysia Year 2014, when MyWorld Group had the opportunity to collaborate with the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia to promote its payment cards to tourists from all over the world. “This private initiative was our first project with the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia. Here you see the coming together of all our services, where payment is linked closely to our loyalty and membership programmes. We secured this initiative a second time for Visit Malaysia 2020. Next year, we want to give our visitors a big welcome. For every ringgit they spend they get one ringgit in rewards with the latest “everyday app”, explained Datuk Dr Tan.

UNIQUE SELLING POINT Another of MyWorld’s interesting programme is with Angkasa, or

Angkatan Kooperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia. Here, every ringgit that is placed in the card, will be matched with a similar amount in bonuses. Datuk Dr Tan explains that when he puts forward a proposal it has to be something out of the ordinary. “When we propose our plans to the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, I believe we must deliver an idea that is unique. What is our selling point? While we attempt to promote our cards, we also have to come up with a plan to bring in tourists to Malaysia. We proposed our rewards plan and they are happy to work with us.” With such clever plans at hand, MyWorld again received the rights to promote VM2020 via its membership, Loyalty and payment cards. Plans are underway to receive an increase in membership next year. According to Datuk Dr Tan, the company has issued more than 200,000 cards to its members in the last five years. By next year it hopes to see 1 million members activating 1 million cards with the new compelling program called WOWRewards. With 1 million customers targeted, and based on a reload limit of RM10,000 per card, coupled with an additional RM10,000 WOWRewards points per card, our programme is expected to generate RM20 billion in spendings, which will serve to benefit the nation’s tourism industry immensely, especially the MRCA merchants community.

Malaysia Retailer Vol 7 No 4

Cover Story

MYWORLD Flies High

WIN-WIN FOR ALL

Cover Story

Yet another interesting tie-up in 2014 was with the Malaysian Retail Chain Association (MRCA). This programme offers immense benefits to customers as well as retailers. “The programme lures customers into retail outlets. Retailers now do not have to go out and find customers, and bring them into the stores. It’s a win-win situation for all. Even if a shopper comes in, browses around and leaves without buying anything, the retailer can rest assured that he has had free marketing for his business,” said Datuk Dr Tan. Additional costs and charges will be paid for by three parties, so the burden to the participating merchant is minimal. “We offer a free platform to retailers. We are not here to sell anything but to collaborate with retailers. We only charge when the transaction is done – a very small percentage. “With the tie up with Angkasa, shoppers can spend their money within the Visa and Mastercard system. The matching bonuses must be redeemed within the MyWorld ecosystem. These are mostly participating MRCA merchants. This is how we can bring consumers back to MRCA.” The offerings, meanwhile, are immense. According to Datuk Dr Tan, MyWorld Rewards has signed up with 3,000 offline merchants from which rewards can be picked from. If this appears to be insufficient, shoppers will be spoilt for choice upon knowing that more than 25,000 products can be redeemed online! The participating merchants are from the food and beverage industry, the travel and entertainment sectors, beauty services, up to 20 airlines, and more than 500,000 hotels.

WIDE NETWORK MyWorld Group is currently established in nine countries in Asia Pacific namely Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, ChinaShanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Australia and Seychelles. “By next year, we aim to be present in 16 countries, namely the 10 ASEAN

Malaysia Retailer Vol 7 No 4

Bank (Bank Negara Malaysia) as well as Visa and MasterCard. I guess you could say we were prepared to go regional from day one,” he said, explaining the name of his company. “MyWorld stands for from Malaysia to the World.”

INNOVATION

member countries plus another six countries. The cards are promoted at our regional offices around Asia. Our staff will engage local travel agents to promote our cards.” This far-reaching network, as well as the solid rewards programme will ensure that members do not drop out after the first year or, in the case of tourists during the VM 2020, after they have returned home. They still stay connected in their home country. Datuk Dr Tan believes the members will continue to top up their cards so as to enjoy the benefits of the loyalty programme. This is why, he said, the loyalty programme has to be as interesting as possible. “Seeing the importance of the loyalty component in our business, we actually have the best rewards programme,” he said confidently. MyWorld Group currently has workforce of 25, with another 25 located throughout the region. In addition, it works with hundreds of travel partners throughout the region to promote Malaysia to foreign travellers. Furthermore, MyWorld Group is on a different league from local payment and loyalty players such as Boost, Fave and GrabPay. Datuk Dr Tan said MyWorld’s system is more similar to Alipay. “We are an international entity. Our wallet size is RM10,000, so our competitors are not the local players. We are licensed by Malaysia Central

Being a fintech company, Datuk Dr Tan said MyWorld Group takes innovation very seriously. It rode the wave of the credit card terminal changes, changing its hardware three times since 2014. “We have upgraded both hardware and software. First with chip and signature, then with chip and pin, and now QR code. We will continue to follow the trends in the industry. We compete internationally so we have to be on par with the big players in this category,” he said. On the local scene, Datuk Dr Tan believes that MyWorld Group is one of the more innovative companies within the fintech sector. The company constantly invests in new ideas as well as hardware, even spending millions to enhance the system, which upgrades weekly. “MyWorld’s fintech efforts are aligned to Bank Negara’s digital strategy in helping drive digital payments forward in the country,” said Datuk Dr Tan. “As a leading provider of payments and loyalty services and, more importantly given our regional footprint, we believe that MyWorld is ideally placed to complement efforts in driving Malaysia’s digital economy in terms of not just payments innovation but also a an catalyst, enabler and driver of inbound tourism, especially for Visit Malaysia 2020 where Malaysia is targeting no less than 30 million tourist arrivals.”

SAFE AND SECURE Besides keeping abreast with the latest in technology, fintech companies are also going all-out to ensure that their system is safe and secure from data breaches and privacy issues. “Our system is built with financial platform as our backbone. We are Bank

Cover Story

WOWNations prepaid card launched by Minister of Entrepreneur Development, YB Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Yusof.

San Yat Suen Achievement Award(2018).

MyWorld International Berhad 2030 Master Plan

Official launch of MRCA MyWorld Prepaid Mastercard by Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP), Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Negara Malaysia, Visa and Mastercard compliant. This is very challenging and requires new application systems. But because of this, our system is very secure. Right now, the company is awaiting approval from Bank Negara Malaysia to roll-out its electronic payment app and mobile payment services. “We target to introduce a QRpayment system by the end of 2019. We have already developed a creative system for that,” offered Datuk Dr Tan. In this digital age, going cashless, is the logical way forward. It is very expensive to collect and handle cash. Visa and MasterCard, meanwhile, are taking aggressive steps to protect users from fraud by introducing digital technology such as chip and pin, to make transactions more secure. “Bank Negara Malaysia and the financial industry as a whole also encourages digitalised payment solutions. So the way I see it, there are no set-backs to going digital. I see no issues with today’s technology. There is almost zero downtime. You hardly hear of systems and servers going down. “Everyone must embrace and engage with technology. You may forget your wallet or purse but the handphone is a necessity in today’s world. Look at China, they have emerged as an advanced nation, where digital

Receiving the Top 10 Recipient of the SME 100 Malaysia Fast Moving Companies Awards 2018.

payments are concerned. India is also moving in this direction.” He said the next big thing to watch out for is crypto-currency and block chain technology, which is expected to change the entire financial industry – making it a truly borderless world. When that time comes, you can bet your digital currency that MyWorld Group will be ready to jump on this bandwagon too. “Right now, we aim to focus on Big Data. As we plan to go for IPO listing in 2022, we strongly believe that our Big Data strategy will drive our company value. When this happens, we plan to invite our partners and stakeholders to join us in this exciting journey towards greater prosperity,” said Datuk Dr Tan with confidence.

Investment IPO ICO M&A Asset Management Exchange Finance Payments Insurance P2P Remittance Credit Technology Artificial intelligence Biz Solutions Mobile Apps Loyalty Rewards O2O Communications Infrastructure Digital Media Publications Digital Marketing Events Social Networking Big Data Corporate Global Network Tourism Academy Network Marketing Hospitality Corporate travel Medical tourism Premium Travel Club Online Travel Portal Hospitality Management

Malaysia Retailer Vol 7 No 4

Feature

Strengthening MalaysiaChina Trade Relationship The collaboration between Matrade and SFIC has paved the way in creating opportunities for both countries. alaysian and Chinese enterprises must leverage on the advantage of close and cordial relationship between the two countries in establishing mutual business partnership. This was stressed during an opening remarks of a business meeting in conjunction with Export Acceleration Mission (EAM) to Shanghai organised by Matrade and Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce (SFIC) in August this year. The programme is a platform for Malaysia companies that are members of MRCA, a prominent trade association in Malaysia, to establish their relationship with Chinese companies. The event would provide knowledge and information on the retail chain in Malaysia among Chinese entrepreneurs. Chinese entrepreneurs will also have a better understanding on various services sectors such as food and beverage, job recruitment, beauty, insurance, IT, education, fashion, convenience store and logistics.

ALL-NEW HIGH According to the Global Competitiveness

report 2018, the Malaysian economy is the 25th most competitive country in the world in the period of 2018-19. Malaysia is also ranked the 15th in terms of ease of doing business in the world. Trade Commissioner of Matrade Shanghai, Tuan Syed a pointed out that bilateral trade between Malaysia and China climbed to an all-new high in 2018, rising 8.1% to USD 78.5 billion, constituting 16.7% of Malaysia’s total trade. China remains Malaysia’s largest trading partner, likewise Malaysia remained in the top 10 among the trading partners of China. “Exports to China expanded by 10.3% to USD 34.7 billion on account of higher exports of chemicals and chemical products, E&E products, liquefied natural gas, manufacturers of metal, optical and scientific equipment, transport equipment and processed food. “China remained as Malaysia’s largest import source accounting for 19.9% share of total imports in 2018. That year also saw FDIs planned by manufacturers from China surged more than four folds to USD 4.9 billion from USD 1 billion the year before.” Electrical and electronics sector,

China & Malaysia’s Bilateral Trade TRADE RM313.81 bil 8.1%

1 China remained as the largest trading partner for 10 consecutive years. 2 Trade deficit narrowed to RM36.05 billion from RM38.49 billion in 2017.

(16.7% share)

EXPORTS RM138.88 bil 10.3% (13.9% share)

healthcare manufacturers and hightech industry are the main components of China’s investments into Malaysia in 2018. Confidence levels were high thanks to the renewed commitment of Malaysia in pursuing the East Coast Rail Link project during the recent Belt and Road forum. To end his speech, he underscored the importance of the 45 years of diplomatic relations for both countries. In terms of numbers, total trade volume in 2018 grew 683 times compared with USD 1.59 billion recorded 45 years ago.

OPENING DOORS Meanwhile Matrade, or the Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation, assured all 25 delegation that it seeks to provide assistance to Malaysian entrepreneurs in China. The national trade promotion agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, was created in 1993 with the aim of positioning Malaysia as a globally competitive trading nation. It strives to promote Malaysia’s enterprises to the world. With this in mind, the organisation offers four main functions, namely export promotion, exporters development, trade advisory services, and trade and market info. With 46 trade and marketing offices, Matrade is well positioned

Export Drives the Malaysian Economy

E&E Products RM55.30 bil 9.8% Major Export Products

IMPORTS RM174.93 bil 6.4% (19.9%share)

Malaysia Retailer Vol 7 No 4

Chemical Products RM17.27 bil 55.9% Petroleum Products RM11.66 bil 12.4%

Total Trade RM9.4 billion Source: MATRADE

Total Trade RM158 billion

Total Trade RM1.876 trillion

Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM)

Top 5 Key Markets in 2018 Top 5 Partners: 50.6% of Total

Top 5 Markets: 51.3% of

TRADE

USA 9.1%

Singapore 11.7%

Others 46.6%

USA 7.4%

Hong Kong 7.5%

Japan 7.1%

Japan 6.9%

Japan 7.2%

to help Malaysian entrepreneurs in developing their businesses. According to a representative, Matrade is well established in China, with a strong presence in Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. “These offices equipped to offer export facilitation, trade advisory services and leads, and market intelligence. It also links key industry player and government bodies as well as business matching arrangements with international buyers,” said the representative. In this presentation it was highlighted that in 2018 China emerged as Malaysia’s top partner in trade, top market in exports and top source making up almost 20% of imports. In 2018 trade deficit between the two countries narrowed to RM36.05 billion from RM38.49 billion from the year before. “Malaysia has much to learn from China. History tells us that ancient invented the compass, gunpowder, printing and papermaking. Today the country is known for Alipay, e-commerce, high-speed railway and bike sharing business. “It goes without saying that e-commerce is driving China’s economy. Online retail sales in China achieved USD 1.33 trillion in 2018, an increase of 23.9% compared with 2017. China’s online retail market is the world’s largest, almost 80% more than the US,” it was noted.

Taiwan 7.2%

➊

Positive Growth amid high base effect in 2017

The representative said it was important to have a solid market entry strategy into China. “In order to do business, it is important to understand the Chinese platform and digital marketing in China. It is imperative to create a quality Chinese website where content is tailormade for the Chinese market. “Search features are being ramped up on WeChat. WeChat search could be an area of focus is its own search section emerges as a proven traffic driver. Brands have already started to invest in sponsored search brand zones on WeChat featuring multimedia and links to e-commerce and mini programs.” Meanwhile China is a matured market with a big population of middle class. People in the cities have the capability to influence the surrounding provinces or areas. Its well-developed transportation systems and networks of highways has contributed positively to cost and time efficiency of businesses. In its findings, Matrade has revealed that second and third-tier cities are attractive for large companies and foreign brands.

GOING WHOLESALE The representative said China’s wholesale markets are a matured platform for overseas products to enter the local market. Malaysian products will

What is MDG

➊ A reimbursable grant on the eligible expenses

➋ Maximum of RM200,000 per company

➌ SME’s >60% equity owned by Malaysian(s)

➍ Manufacturing, Trading & Services

EXPORTS RM998.01 bil 6.7%

IMPORTS RM877.74 bil 4.9%

China 19.9%

China 12.9%

China 48.7%

USA 8.3%

TRADE RM1.876 trillion 5.9%

IMPORTS

Singapore 13.9%

Singapore 12.9%

Thailand 5.6%

Top 5 Sources: 53.4% of

EXPORTS

China 16.7% Others 49.4%

Malaysia Trade Performance 2018

• International

Trade Fairs in Malaysia (>RM5,000) and Overseas (>RM15,000); • Trade and Investment Missions/Export Acceleration Missions (>RM10,000 organised by MATRADE and >RM2,000 with other organisation; • International Conferences Overseas (>RM2,500); • Listing Fees for Made in Malaysia products in Supermarkets/Hypermarket/ Retail Centres Overseas (>RM20,000)

➋

Export close to RM1 trillion

TRADE BALANCE RM120.27 bil 22.1%

➌

Trade Balance surpasses RM100 billion the highest level in 7 years

be placed at Bonded Area in Yiwu Free Trade Zone. “This is an import hub in line with the Belt and Road Initiative. Yiwu is the wold’s largest wholesale market as more than 500,000 foreign merchants come here to source for products every year, and more than 15,000 foreign merchants from more than 100 countries are based in Yiwu. This free trade zone exports products to more than 210 countries and regions in the world with daily export goods reaching more than 800 containers. “Yiwu Railway Line has become the first freight train linking China directly to the other European cities, including Madrid and Hamburg. The railway line is an effort from China to strengthen trade links with Western Europe along the modern-day Silk Road route.”

E-COMMERCE COLLABORATIONS Matrade also revealed that it is creative active collaborations with Alibaba Group, JBM, Tmall, JD.com, 1Store, KJT.com and Suning.com. In a bid for stronger ties Matrade help Malaysia week in Shanghai in September 2019 targeting supermarkets (offline) and 1688.com and Alibaba. com (online). It is also working closely with KOL, an influencer who has trusted knowledge and influence. The collaboration with China Post has brought forth a visit to the Asean E-commerce Logistic Centre and the Malaysia-China Bonded Warehouse by YB Dr Ong Kian Ming, Deputy Minister of MITI in September 2018. In closing presentation, the Matrade representative urged Malaysian entrepreneurs to take up the market development grant (MDG), which is a reimbursable grant on eligible expenses that offers a maximum of RM200,000 per company.

Malaysia Retailer Vol 7 No 4

Feature

Delegates Explore Business Opportunities In Shanghai The comprehensive program which MRCA planned for its trade mission to Shanghai saw delegates visiting successful business operators and retailer outlets. Most valuable were the business matching and sharing sessions. rade missions are an excellent way for entrepreneurs to explore opportunities abroad while reducing the risk and cost compared to travelling alone. In August 2019 MRCA President Datuk Garry Chua lead a 25-member delegation on a trade mission to Shanghai, China, Among those in the delegation were Organising Chairman Dato’ Winnie Lim, Vice President Datuk Seri Dr KK Chai, Deputy Secretary General Dato’ Bruce Lim, and Council members Raymond Woo and Dato’ Choi Wee Yee. For many of them the purpose of the trip was to explore and expand their business into China. In this sense the trip did not

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disappoint. There were countless chances to build businesses and relationships with suppliers, successful business people and contacts who could likely turn out to be great mentors. On day one of the trip, after arriving at the Majesty Plaza Shanghai hotel, delegates proceeded to the Shun Feng Restaurant for dinner. Serving mainly Hangzhou style cuisine, the restaurant is known for its large variety of food items on its menu list, ranging into the hundreds. Day two of the trip saw delegates visiting the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Shanghai. This is the largest Starbucks outlet in the world at 30,000 square feet. Here the delegates observed a first

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rate coffee retail outlet in works. The outlet had three coffee bars, a Teavana tea bar, tasting rooms, a coffee library, an area for specialised Starbucks souvenirs and coffee making items. The roaster is set in the middle of the building, centred by a bronze cast. Visitors get an amazing view of the process of beans going through channels that run all over the walls and ceilings, churning in the silos, roasting in the roasting cask and finally deposited into the coffee bar canisters or packed into bags and brought on conveyor belts. Next, the delegates participated at a business matching session. This part of the programme not only introduced the delegates to potential sellers but also gave them the chance to promote their businesses and products to prospective buyers and partners in China. The match making session was well-organised by Matrade Shanghai in collaboration with Shaghai Federation of Industry and Commerce. The close to four-hour session saw a line-up quality entrepreneurs and sound discussions held in a supportive environment. The MRCA delegates had an opportunity to present their company profile to the Chinese attendees. It was preceded by a speech by the Trade Commissioner of Matrade Shanghai, Tuan Syed Fairus. Guests of honour at the event were Frank Feng, Director, Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce; Dato Winnie Lim, Head of Delegation, MRCA; and John Ooi, Chairman, Malaysia Chambers of Commerce, Shanghai Chapter. Tuan Syed Fairus underscored the

importance of the event as a platform for Malaysian companies that are MRCA members to establish their relationship with Chinese companies. He said that the match making session was an opportunity to share and exchange information about the Malaysian retail chain industry with the Chinese enterprises. “It is hoped also, that Chinese enterprises will have a better understanding on various services that we have today such as food and beverage, job recruitment, beauty, insurance, IT, education, fashion, convenience stores and logistics,” he said. He pointed out that Malaysia is the third largest economy in Southeast Asia and 35th largest economy in the world. It is also ranked 15th in the world in terms of ease of doing business. “China continues to be Malaysian largest trading partner for the 10th consecutive year since 2009 and we were among the top 10 trading partners of China in 2018.” Datuk Seri Garry Chua, in his speech, thanked Matrade for organising and co-ordinating the networking session. He stated that there were tremendous opportunities for business collaboration between Malaysia and China. Later, Vice President Datuk Seri Dr KK Chai gave an in-depth presentation on MRCA and its activities. He also stressed on the business opportunities available for both countries. This was followed by a short presentation by each of the delegates and later they had a one-to-one session with the Chinese attendees. Later, Datuk

Seri Garry Chua presented a Token of Appreciation each to Frank Feng and Tuan Syed Fairus. The business meetings adjourned for a wellearned dinner at the popular Haidilao restaurant, operated by Sichuan Haidilao Catering Co, where meals were served at its hotpot best. John Ooi, Chairman, Malaysia China Chambers of Commerce (MAYCHAM), Shanghai Chapter, also joined the delegates for dinner. Next up on the agenda was a visit to TusStar on Day 3. Here the delegates were greeted by Fan Boyang, Director of TusStar VC (Shanghai), Shanghai Tusstar Business Incubator Co Ltd, who gave a presentation on the company and its operations before taking the delegates on a tour of the facility. TusStar was one of the first companies to introduce the joint concepts of incubation and investment in China. By providing innovation service and building integrated platforms through the decades, TusStar has grown with its tenant startups. It has incubated over 5000 firms, among them are the 49 Diamond Companies, 45 Golden Seed Project companies, 35 listed companies and 81 leading talents from Recruitment Program of Global Experts, Overseas Talents Pooling Program and High-end Leading Talent Pooling Program. “TusStar never stops exploring the incubation business, and will continuously forge the international and specialised innovation ecosystem,” said Fan Boyang. The delegates were then taken for lunch at Changyang Residence before embarking on the next highlight of the trip, a visit to JD.com Logistics Hub. A tour at China’s leading one-

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stop e-commerce platform gave the delegates a valuable market insights into operations at this logistics hub. They learned about JD’s unrivalled nationwide logistics network, and its sophisticated data-driven delivery technologies which are able to provide customers same-day and next-day delivery standards. This, the company claims, is a level of service that no other company in the world can match. JD.com has one of the largest fulfilment infrastructure of any e-commerce company in the world. It operates 23 “Asia No 1” logistics parks, which are smart fulfilment centres in Asia. JD.com also leverages a network of approximately 600 warehouses with a total of over 15 million sqm. Next up on the list was a visit to the CCFA China Franchise Expo. Its CEO delivered a welcome speech introducing the organisation to MRCA members.

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He said since 2004, when the national tour mode has been opened, some 53 exhibitions have been held in 12 cities. Since 2018, exhibitions have been held in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Nanjing. “The China Franchise exhibition is supported by the China National Chain Management Association, the only national industry organisation in the domestic chain. The scope of exhibiting enterprises includes three major industries such as catering, retail and service, service providers, and industrial organizations. It is an industry-wide exhibition.” This was followed by a speech from Datuk Seri Garry Chua, MRCA President, who took the opportunity to congratulate the organisers of the trade mission to Shanghai. MRCA also signed a MoU with the CCFA China Franchise Expo organiser for collaboration to garner support and further promote the franchise industry. Datuk Seri KK Chai and Raymond Woo also gave a short presentation each promoting MRCA and MIRF respectively. The MoU signing ceremony was witnessed by YB Chong Cheng Jen, Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade

and Consumer Affairs of Malaysia (KPDNHEP). YB Chong, in his speech, congratulated MRCA for the collaboration and expressed confidence that this would benefit both countries for mutual trade benefits. He later visited and officially opened the Malaysian Pavilion at the Expo. Last on the list was a tour of Alibaba’s Freshippo supermarket, formerly known as Hema Supermarket. Here conveyor belts whisk bags of groceries along the ceiling above shoppers’ heads, facial recognition units scan customers at checkouts and algorithmically-determined prices change depending on the time of day. This is essentially what Jack Ma describes as New Retail, where brick and mortar stores work with ecommerce, data collection and artificial intelligence. Alibaba has promoted the concept as a way to boost low profit margins at conventional supermarkets, which are under threat from online shopping, said Jerry Ji, Alibaba Group Freshippo, Director of Public Affairs. The five-day trip ended on a high note. Many of the delegates expressed confidence on the new alliances and friendships established during the trip. Most importantly, the trip challenged the minds of our delegates to new ways of doing things, and solving business and marketing problems. “The first-hand visits to large and successful companies were very inspiring. In the minds of these business leaders were risks and bold decisions which had to be made at some point. They stuck with it and pursued their dreams. The results are what we see and enjoy today,” said Annie Pang, CEO of Zeal Systems,(M) Bhd. oneSdn. of the delegates.

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CCFA China Franchise Expo

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Biz Matchmaking Session

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JD Com

Freshippo AliBaba

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TusStar

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Starbucks

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SnT Takes You from A to Z Sell anywhere, fulfil every where. SnT Global Logistics Sdn Bhd takes you from B2B to B2C and back on one seamless ride.Founder and CEO David Wong tells RACHAEL PHILIP this is the way forward in meeting consumer demand in the New Retail revolution. ew Retail is a phrase that is cropping up not only in the retail industry but in every aspect of our lives. But what exactly is New Retail? The phrase, coined by Jack Ma, is explained by the visionary leader himself: E-commerce is rapidly evolving into New Retail. The boundary between offline and online commerce disappears as we focus on fulfilling the personalised needs of each customer. Being a visual person, the newness of New Retail was a little difficult to appreciate. That is until I stepped into a warehouse in Subang Jaya. You would expect at a warehouse to see extra-large storage boxes, ceiling-high racks and fork lifters to move heavy loads around. A quick walkabout through the warehouse showed that something “New” was going on. Between the loading bays and receiving area at the front and the storage of large boxes at the back, there were staff moving around children’s clothes on racks, others tagging individual running shoes and some others putting together a Marks and Spencer hamper. “In logistics, there are basically three core services – freight and forwarding , warehousing and transportation services including express last mile delivery service. SnT offers fully integrated logistics services covering all these, thus providing its customers an end-to-end service.” said David

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Wong, Founder and CEO of SnT Global Logistics. In doing so SnT Global Logistics bridges a crucial gap in the logistics services through a single point of contact for both B2B and B2C customers.

INTEGRATION The logistics company, which currently manages half a million sq ft of warehouse space in Malaysia and Singapore, also specialises in Omnichannel fulfillment. Omnichannel fulfillment is the order fulfillment process completed across multiple channels. SnT facilitates e-commerce, stores replenishment and wholesale, keeping orders and inventory up-todate, and saving precious time on managing products. All this is powered by SnT Group’s Hosted E-logistics Platform (HeLP), its customised and award-winning proprietary system designed for seamless integration. “HeLP links logistics service providers at each point of the supply chain on an integrated platform. Data is synced for all areas such as shipment delivery, movement visibility and inventory management,” he said. David offered an example. If I were

to buy a shirt online and decide I do not like it, I may choose to return it to an offline outlet convenient to me. Or I may like to purchase a shirt online and pickup from a offline outlet such as Collectco which has more than a thousand Pickup and Dropoff (PUDO) outlets nationwide. SnT HeLP will allow track and trace of movement of such inventory seamlessly. In New Retail everything is connected. Seamless. In this platform the permutations are endless. The opportunities are far reaching.

“In today’s retail scene there is online and offline logistics, and data analytics. If you succeed in bringing all this together, retailers will be able to make timely and accurate decisions,” he said.

VISION David, whose background is in information technology, saw the need for a comprehensive logistics system way back in 2000 when the company started as a software business. “During the dotcom boom I developed a platform to connect e-commerce etailers to logistics but the dotcom bust happened and I changed my business model ,” he explained. David is the ex-chairman of PIKOM and the current chairman of ASOCIO. “I had already raised significant amounts of money for the e-commerce platform but in 2006 I decided to take the funds and shift my focus to the downstream sector of logistics. But we didn’t want to be yet another logistics company. “We wanted to set up an e-fulfilment capability that could handle both online and offline. This has proved to be a good decision. In the last three to four years the e-business has been booming. Our business has grown.” Today, SnT Global Logistics, which was awarded pioneer status by MIDA, consists of 70% B2B and 30% B2C. In the B2B category their customers are made up of retailers of apparels, FMCG and pharmacies. He said despite the smaller percentage, B2C is fast growing. “If B2B is growing at a pace of 15%, the B2C sphere is growing twice this amount.”

GROWTH By early next year SnT Global Logistics would have opened its seventh warehouse in the country. Two of its current warehouses are in Johor, one just 10 minutes away from the border to Singapore. While its operations are focused in Malaysia and Singapore, it has a network of fulfilment centres with affiliates in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. It also has partnerships with global carriers to the US and Europe. “We are in the process of setting up a fulfilment hub in Hong Kong, China, for North Asia and other parts of the world. Our Hong Kong facility, which

cross border logistics, we look at speed and costs. The force behind New Retail, meanwhile, is the technology. It must be a digital platform that is powerful and robust.”

GOALS

will be ready before the end of this year, will be the hub for our global business,” he stated. Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia, SnT intends to leverage on the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) in KLIA and its new warehouse facility in Johor as it’s regional hub. Here SnT Global Logistics invested in 10 acres of land costing RM50 million five years ago. “About one third of this land has been developed into a 100,000 sq ft five-star modern suite state-of-the-art warehouse with 14 bays for delivery. We will invite Singapore companies to set up their back-end operations here, enabling savings of 30% to 40%,” said David. He said Malaysia makes an excellent hub for the region because of its location. With its regulatory framework and facilities that promote cross border logistics, DFTZ, which was set up to cater mainly to B2C, is heading in the right direction. However, he said, processes and rules must be kept simple. “Speed is key. We are talking about same day or next day delivery locally or even regionally. When we look at

Despite the goals SnT has reached in the last 10 year, David is not resting on his laurels. To be able to continue as a significant player in Omnichannel Fulfillment requires a lot of investment. Because the nature of the sector is borderless, SnT Global Logistics aims to set up stronger foothold in Southeast Asia via mergers, acquisitions and partnerships. Where the industry is concerned he encourages retailers to embark on different channels and to be on par or ahead of the game. SnT Global Logistics operates an academy that offers a oneweek training program on supply chain and eCommerce logistics. “Training is particularly need to develop talent and to build knowledge. In area of omnichannel fulfillment , we have constant recruitment drive to hire fresh graduates and train them inhouse,” he said. Another stumbling block is the fragmented nature of the industry. “There is too much of a price war going on in the industry. This is not healthy as margins are thin. It is a tough industry that is price-based, especially in the last mile. Integrated logistics with high value added services is a solution to this.”

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The Maserati Ghibli – A Bold Statement, Elegantly Delivered The Maserati Ghibli, imbued with the marque’s racing DNA, is a symbol of highpowered luxury. It stamps a bold statement and elegantly delivers a smooth, lavish ride with razor-sharp coupé-like handling. he Ghibli, Maserati’s best-selling incarnation, presents subtle style enhancements, new colour options, alloy wheels, full-grain Pieno Fiore natural leather with new veneers and a redesigned gearshift lever with shorter travel and improved operation. Adaptive Full LED Matrix headlights are standard for all model range. Naza Italia – Maserati, sole importer and distributor of Maserati in Malaysia, offers the local market a complete range for the Ghibli, which includes the Ghibli, Ghibli GranSport, Ghibli GranLusso, Ghibli S, Ghibli S GranSport and Ghibli S GranLusso. The highly popular Ghibli range offers gorgeous looks, top-quality performance, a comfortable driving experience and even greater refinement.

EXTERIOR DESIGN The Ghibli, which premiered in the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show, makes a solid statement in the premium sedan segment, combining a coupé-

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like philosophy with interior comfort. The designers in Turin interpreted the styling of the GranLusso and GranSport trims separately for each one, in order to more clearly distinguish luxury from sportiness. The eye is drawn to the front bumper, which embraces a large grille with a ‘shark nose’ profile, chrome bars and a chrome insert on the upper side. The concave grille is clearly inspired by the iconic Alfieri Concept. Its design has contributed to a substantial improvement of the car’s aerodynamic efficiency. The drag coefficient of the Ghibli is as low as 0.29 - a 7% improvement on the 0.31 value of the original design.

INTERIOR DESIGN The Ghibli comes with its signature superior cabin craftsmanship with a unique, cockpit-inspired dashboard design. The interior is built around an intuitive, uncluttered and user-friendly driver interface. The instrument panel

features large analogue gauges for the tachometer and speedometer, alongside a 7” TFT display. The dashboard is designed around the 8.4” Maserati Touch Control Plus (MTC+) display, which features updated graphics and improved Climate Control functions for its latest variants. The center console neatly accommodates a redesigned gearshift lever and a revised button cluster for the driving modes as well as the characteristic double rotary knob, a high-quality forged aluminium component that provides intuitive control of the audio volume and other functions. The Ghibli provides class-leading front legroom and, despite its coupélike silhouette, comfortable head and legroom for all occupants. The interior packaging also incorporates 60/40 folding rear seats with ISOFIX fittings to securely anchor child seats and 500 litres of luggage capacity alongside the practical, large door pockets and an electrically lockable passenger glove box.

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WIDER CHOICE OF LEATHER MATERIALS Since the introduction of the GranLusso and GranSport trims, the interior of the Ghibli has been adapted to emphasise either luxury or sportiness, two essential elements in the DNA of every Maserati. GranSport trim: this sport-oriented interior immediately transmits a sense of passion through an array of exclusive elements, like the 12-way power sport leather front seats with integrated antiwhiplash headrests, the sport steering wheel fitted with aluminium gearshift paddles, and the Inox sport pedals. The dashboard’s wood trim is finished in high-gloss Black Piano. GranLusso trim: the luxuryoriented cabin exclusively features the Ermenegildo Zegna Silk interiors, with mulberry silk inserts, Radica open-pore wood trim on the dashboard and woodfinished leather steering wheel. The trim includes a Bowers & Wilkins Premium Sound system, poweradjustable foot pedals and steering wheel, an electric rear sunblind, the Soft Close Doors system and an electrically lockable passenger glove box. The Ermenegildo Zegna Silk interior combines fine-grain leather with 100% natural fibre mulberry silk inserts on seats, door panels, roof lining, sunshades and ceiling light fixture. The silk, always anthracite in colour, can be combined with three different shades of luxurious fine leather. Maserati has widened the choice of

exclusive interior finishes with the new Pieno Fiore natural leather is on the topend of the list. Premium Leather (grain B) is used on the upper and lower dashboard and on the armrest. The door panels also stand out for their unique, double-stitching pattern. Pieno Fiore is like no other leather used in the automotive industry for its natural, soft feel and is purposely processed to develop a unique character throughout the years.

CLASS-LEADING ENGINES The 2,979 cc V6 petrol engine - available in two power specifications with 350hp and 430hp - is designed by Maserati Powertrain in collaboration with Ferrari and is manufactured by Ferrari in Maranello. This latest-generation engine is powerful, exciting to drive and ecofriendly, thanks to Gasoline Direct Injection technology, two low-inertia parallel turbochargers, four continuous camshaft phasers as well as Auto StartStop system. For the Ghibli, the Maserati petrol engines are Euro6c-compliant. A characteristic feature of this Maserati engine family is the 200 bar direct fuel injection system. This very high pressure helps atomise the fuel, thus improving the fuel-air mixture and optimising combustion at higher engine speeds. The Ghibli features three driving modes, Normal, Sport and ICE for Increased Control and Efficiency. ICE

mode is aimed at reducing consumption, emissions and noise. It delivers softer pedal response for smooth driving, deactivates the turbocharger’s overboost function and keeps the exhaust’s Sport flaps closed up to 5,000 rpm. It also adjusts the gear changes to make them softer and slower, and reduces torque at each gear’s take-up point. In the best Maserati tradition, the sound and performance of the Ghibli’s exhaust system are controlled by pneumatic valves in the pipes emerging from each bank to maintain the rich aural tradition of the brand. In Normal mode, the bypass valves are closed up to 3,000 rpm to give a comfortable and discreet engine sound, which emerges through four sport exhaust tips.

REDESIGNED GEARSHIFT LEVER The Ghibli is fitted with a redesigned gearshift lever, which features an intuitive, dual lane shift pattern that provides shorter travel and improved operation. The driver has the option to use the gearbox in either automatic (RND) or manual mode simply by shifting the lever from right to left, while a new ‘P’ button on top sets the transmission in parking mode. With the new gearshift lever, the driving modes cluster on the central console is even more user-friendly. The M button has been eliminated and a Start&Stop “off” button has moved in its place. The Ghibli is available at the starting price of RM 618,800.00 (inclusive of local taxes and duties) for the standard model, while the Ghibli GranSport and GrandLusso are priced at RM668,800.00. The Ghibli S is priced at RM 718,800 and the Ghibi S GranSport and GranLusso at RM768,800.00. All models include five years standard warranty coverage with no mileage restriction plus a free maintenance program of five years/100,000 km whichever comes first (inclusive of Maserati Premium Service Plus of three years /60,000KM).

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Zeal Systems, A Leading Expert in Retail Solutions Zeal Systems (M) Sdn Bhd started in 2003 as an IBM business with about a dozen clienteles. Over the years it quickly grew to become a trusted name that provides a comprehensive suite of services, including point-of-sale (POS) hardware, software, self-service kiosk, on-site support, project management and consultancy services. ed by CEO Annie Pang and CTO Frankie Chong, Zeal Systems has a strong presence in Malaysia and Singapore, especially after diversifying its offerings with highly customisable, efficient and cost-effective total retail solutions. The company is driven by its fourpronged mission, namely to constantly improve on delivering powerful and customisable POS solutions, to always keep customers satisfaction as a top priority, to develop and improve its costefficient and customisable POS software applications, and to inspire its people to come together in building sustainable advancements. The hinge that holds the company together, however, are its core values. The company places top priority on

trust, ownership, passion, commitment, respect and teamwork. Zeal Group has three companies under its umbrella, namely myZSM (M) Sdn Bhd, Zeal Systems (Warehouse) and FÜDTEC (M) Sdn Bhd. Alongside these is the Singaporean entity called Z-Tech IT Solutions Pte Ltd. The top-level POS maintenance services myZSM was incorporated in 2009 as a servicing arm to Zeal Systems. It specialises in Windows, iOS and Adroid POS solution. Tasked with fulfilling postsales customer service to the best of its ability, the team comprises of highly experienced and dedicated engineers who are well trained and certified by IBM/TGCS, HP POS and NCR POS. Its helpdesk or Smart Contact Centre team is always available to attend to any concerns related to software, hardware or any other related issues. It provides extensive pre- and post-sales services as well as consultation to customers on a nationwide basis with 23/7. All the while the company nurtured plans to grow a Singaporean legacy. In 2006 Z-Tech IT Solutions Pte Ltd was formed as an extension of its service and distribution

arm in Singapore. It then quickly picked up big names such as NTUC FoodFare, Marina Bay Sands, Starhubs and Singapore Turf Club. It successfully installed more than 6,000 units across Singapore, with large customer base ranging from book stores to boutiques, convenient stores to hypermarkets, and food courts. FÜDTEC (M) Sdn Bhd and FÜDTEC (S) Pte Ltd, incorporated in July this year, is all about cultivating a nutritious eating lifestyle in a simple way – a new path for Zeal Group but one that is still focused on technologies, machineries and supports. In order to advance in this path it has adopted AI technology in its first smart vending machine. Zeal Group’s smart vending machine called FuDROID is a cashless payment system that uses a computerised menu display for customer’s convenience. It uses a cloud-based sales and inventory system to remotely manage sales and cost. Its exciting solutions include Eats365 (iOS), JuzOrder (iOS) and JuzBayar (Window & Android), and Orty (Android). With these strides Zeal Systems is ready to grow its name as an outstanding player in POS systems and self-serviced kiosks in the region.

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16 years of industry experience and counting. 9000 units of POS systems and self-service kiosks installed and maintained in Malaysia.

4000 units of POS systems and kiosks in Singapore. 157 total clients serviced and counting. 15 principal brands and partners. 45 staff members in ASEAN. Malaysia Retailer Vol 7 No 4

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Royal Visitors at RHB Art with Heart 2019 Exhibition

Front row, second from left: Dato’ Khairussaleh Ramli, Group Managing Director of RHB Banking Group; Tengku Puteri Jihan Azizah ‘Athiyatullah, Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah and Norazzah Sulaiman, Group Chief Communications Officer of RHB Banking Group.

he Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah together with her daughter, Tengku Puteri Jihan Azizah ‘Athiyatullah, recently visited the RHB Art with Heart (AWH) 2019 exhibition at the Bangsar Shopping Complex. They were taken on a tour of the exhibition accompanied by Dato’ Khairussaleh Ramli, Group Managing Director of RHB Banking Group and Norazzah Sulaiman, Group Chief Communications Officer of RHB Banking Group. The Raja Permaisuri Agong later presented three artworks personally painted by Tengku Puteri Jihan Azizah ‘Athiyatullah, which were displayed at the exhibition for public viewing until 30 June, 2019. The third series of AWH, themed ‘Diversity and Inclusivity’, was part of RHB’s corporate responsibility initiative which provided young and upcoming Malaysian artists a platform to showcase their creative art pieces. The exhibition displayed more than 100 artworks by 27 Malaysian artists. The exhibition was opened to the public from 24 to 30 June 2019. The Special Preview of RHB’s AWH 2019 on 24 June attracted more than 300 guests with 35 artworks sold.

Front row, third from left: Norazzah Sulaiman, Group Chief Communications Officer of RHB Banking Group; Dato’ Khairussaleh Ramli, Group Managing Director of RHB Banking Group; Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, Tengku Puteri Jihan Azizah ‘Athiyatullah and Sarah NH Vogele, Curator for RHB Art With Heart 2019.

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MEMBERʼS LOYALTY PROGRAMME Mid-Year Promotion Package

Type of Membership

Year 2019 (RM)

Member Loyalty Programme

Golf Single Golf Sports Single Sports

55,000 39,000 12,000 9,000

Upgrade Sports to Golf Membership

Sports to Golf

43,000

Upgrade Single Sports to Single Golf Membership

Sports to Golf

30,000

GOLF MEMBERSHIP

• Green fee voucher • Saturday BBQ voucher • TGCR premium items

SPORTS MEMBERSHIP

• Saturday BBQ voucher • TGCR premium items Prices shown above inclusive of 6% service tax Instalment plan applicable Mode of Payment : Cash/ Cheque/ Credit Card TROPICANA GOLF & COUNTRY RESORT BERHAD (203361-T) Jalan Kelab Tropicana, Tropicana Golf & Country Resort, 47410 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Membership Office : +603 7804 8888 ext 170 / 208 (Elly Kong) www.tropicanagolf.com

REF NO : 1-2019-mem-tgcr

elly.kong@tropicanacorp.com.my

tropicanagolf | tropicana.eats

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Putt-ing A Fresh Angle Into Golfing Tropicana Golf and Country Resort Executive Director Herman Tan is tasked with making golf as well as country club life relevant in this age of Esports and endless choices of entertainment, RACHAEL PHILIP writes. he Tropicana Golf and Country Resort (TGCR) is an oasis of calm in busy Klang Valley. The real crowd puller has to be the award-winning 230-acre 27-hole golf course featuring a well-planned lush landscape that is environmentally sustainable. But the reality is that the country club business today cannot survive on an amazing golf course alone. Hence the thriving mini town that the club has gradually morphed into. The country club has a fullyequipped sports centre, restaurants offering a variety of authentic cuisine, a convenience store, boutiques, a hair salon, kindergarten, a florist shop, a spa and did I mention a clinic? “There are not many clubs like ours. We are quite complete here. We are surrounded by roughly 1000 bungalows, and our guests can even walk or cycle over,” said Herman Tan, Executive Director, of the proprietary-owned club

that has 6,000 members. Roughly half are active members coming in three or four times a week with 7,500 rounds of golf a month. “The club industry is very challenging. Here you see the members sometimes three to four times and others many times a day throughout the year. The expectation is certainly higher compared to hotel guests who visit for two to three nights and then you don’t hear of them again,” he said.

LURING IN THE CROWD Herman and his team is focused on bringing in more people, especially on weekdays. The club opened in 1993 when the membership fee was RM60,000. The first batch of members are now in their 50s and 60s. The young generation meanwhile are more interested in group cycling, cross fit yoga and pilates, all new activities that sprang up in the last 20 years. Among the creative means the

The club has clinched numerous achievements over the years.

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management have come up with are food promotions and half-priced meals for 60 year olds and birthday parties are made more special at TGCR. The resort goes all out to mark ‘auspicious’ birthday celebrations. “Our members who turn 50, 60, etc, have had unforgettable events that capture the milestones in their lives,” said Herman. The sky is the limit when it comes to weddings at a golf and country resort. The premise allows for grand weddings in the ballroom, outdoor weddings by the pool and in a garden and even in the bowling alley! “TGCR has tied up with events companies that organised memorable and beautiful themed weddings. Besides bowling-themed weddings, we have had beautiful garden-themed weddings and even a fun fair-themed wedding complete with outdoor games and picture booths in a garden setting,” said Herman.

Perhaps TGCR is best known for is Ramadhan buffet. The resort is more than equipped to cater to thousands of guests every night. Herman said weekends are when families and friends turn up in big groups. Parking is stretched to almost a kilometre away. Even this has an exciting element to it. Guests will ride the buggy to the clubhouse for breaking fast. It opened a kindergarten on its premises 10 year ago. Today the 100 kids, the “next generation of golfers” according to Herman, learn to swim and play golf while their grandparents work their way on the golf course. To lure in the millennials, TGCR has initiated and supports junior golf programmes for which it receives good support. This year the club has included a category for junior boys and girls at its annual Club Championships. “Worldwide golf is not generating excitement anymore. One reason could be that one game could take up to four hours to complete, and there are too many rules. The game’s governing bodies should consider making the rules easier and not so rigid,” said Herman.

ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE One way TGCR is moving with the times is by transforming itself into an environmentally fit entity. While patrons are looking for faster green, well-maintained grass, cut bunkers and fine sand, Herman assures us that fertilisers and pesticides are used within the safe and recommended limit. Trimmed branches are turned into wood chippings and used as decoration

pieces. Solar panels will be installed and 600 coconut trees will be planted in the coming months. The hot air from the air conditioning units are used to heat up water. More inverter air conditioning models are being introduced as well as LED spotlights. The club also demonstrated real commitment to the environment by planting more than 5,000 fruit trees from 25 varieties such as mango, mangosteen, pomelo, avacado, seedless guava, air jambu, dragonfruit and MD2 pineapple, among others, around the resort. It also has a vegetable farm. This is not a mere green washing endeavour. “Our aim is to make our F&B selfsustaining. We hope to provide 80-90% of fruits and vegetables, we also do composting to convert food waste into compost.”

ALWAYS LEARNING Towards the end of 2013 leveraging on his experience in golf course landscaping, Herman was tasked with the responsibility of growing Tropicana Innovative Landscape to a formidable landscape services company. Among the multi-million ringgit landscape projects include Tropicana Avenue, Tropicana Kajang, Central Park at the Rafflesia, Help University, Greenland, Danga Bay, Design Village at the Penang Premium Outlet and Sunway Velocity. It has won several awards from CIDB and MA. Looking back Herman says that two things have been pivotal to his growth as a person – humility and a learning attitude. He has leaned on these virtues throughout his career, and they have

“To lure in the millennials, TGCR has initiated junior golf programmes.” – Tropicana Golf and Country Resort Executive Director Herman Tan seen through the rough and difficult times. He also appreciates the support, advice and ideas from the Board of Directors as well as the Founder, Tan Sri Danny Tan. He is also grateful for the support from the residents and members for their constructive comments to improve the resort. “Our dedicated staff rises to every challenge in their every work and this cycle of working together contributes to the success of the resort,” he added. “Be humble for to lead is essentially to serve. We must take care of our staff. Respect is important. Seek to understand before being understood,” he explained, and recommended being always in the learning mode. The club has won numerous awards over the years. Among them are the prestigious FIABCI award, Best Leisure Development award and the Best Golf Course Development in Asia Pacific by Asia Pacific Residential Property Awards in association with Bloomberg Television. The club has also been nominated as Malaysia’s Best Golf Course and World’s Best Clubhouse in the World Golf Awards 2019, Best Greens, Best F&B – Halfway Hut, Best F&B – Golfers’ Terrace and Best Clubhouse in the ParGolf People’s Choice Awards 2019.

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Sultan of Selangor Opens Central i-City in Shah Alam The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah recently officiated the grand opening of the Central i-City shopping centre in Section 7, Shah Alam. He was accompanied by Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin. Also present were Selangor Mentri Besar Amirudin Bin Shari, Sudhitham Chirathivat Chairman of the Advisory Board, Central Group of Companies, Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Honorary Chairman of Central Pattana Public Company Limited (CPN), Tan Sri Lim Kim Hong, Executive Chairman of i-Berhad and HE Narong Sasitorn, Ambassador of Thailand to Malaysia. The RM850 million project is a joint venture between CPN and i-City Properties Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of i-City Berhad. It is CPN’s first international project offering 940,000 square feet of creative retail spaces to serve the people of Klang and Shah Alam. With over 350 retail stores spanning six levels, the shopping centre aims to bring the best of Thailand design, hospitality and retailing experiences to its local customers, partners and tenants. Preecha Ekkunagul, President and Chief Executive Officer, CPN Thailand, said: “Our legacy for this project is to create the ‘Centre of Life’ for the people of Selangor, especially in Klang and Shah Alam. We strive to create a strong sense of community wherever we have a presence, and work with local governments, partners and groups to bring economic prosperity that sustainably enriches lives and neighbourhoods.” He added that the company is confident that this lifestyle and shopping destination can play a key role in the longerterm vision of Selangor, boding well with the Mentri Besar’s recent proclamation of i-City being the ‘heart of Selangor’s Golden Triangle’ – a catalyst of future economic growth, innovation and development for the state.

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Hap Seng Land Sdn Bhd recently held the topping out ceremony of Menara Hap Seng 3 to celebrate the construction’s milestone achieved in reaching the tower’s rooftop.

he project will be expected to complete on time, by end of this year, and is expected to operate by the first quarter of 2020. The site of Menara Hap Seng 3 was previously occupied by Hap Seng Group’s first built-to-suit Hap Seng Star Mercedes-Benz Showroom in Peninsular Malaysia, which has become a landmark at the intersection of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan P. Ramlee. Menara Hap Seng 3 is a 26-storey office building comprising 5 levels of retail and F&B podium, 20 floors of office spaces as well as 1 level of roof F&B, sitting on top of 6 levels of basement parking.

Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), a world-renowned American architecture firm, Menara Hap Seng 3 will be an aesthetical and functional commercial building that meets top-notch industry standards with compliance of Grade-A office building, GBI certification, LEED Gold Certification and MSC zone. As part of the consistent efforts of Hap Seng Group in promoting green initiatives in all its projects, Menara Hap Seng 3 will have a 90-metre high indoor vertical green wall within the internal atriums of the building. This to help draw in indirect natural daylight to illuminate the internal spaces of the

offices and also to provide good visual comfort for all the occupants on every floor. One of the challenges of the project is the tight site and heavy traffic during the day. In order to ensure timely completion with high quality of work, a full top-down construction method has been adopted to speed up the construction work. The tower would also complete the series of Menara Hap Seng’s commercial buildings, stretching from Jalan Sultan Ismail right up to Jalan Tengah along Jalan P. Ramlee. Link bridges will connect the Group’s three buildings under the proposed Plaza Hap Seng.

From left: Cheah Ham Cheia, Managing Director, Grand Dynamic Builders Sdn Bhd, Christopher Chua Zhen Hon, Managing Director, Lei Shing Hong Properties (China) Limited, Dato’ Jorgen Bornhoft, Chairman, Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd, Datuk Edward Lee Ming Foo, Group Managing Director, Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd, David Khor Soo Beng, Chief Operating Officer, Property Division (West Malaysia), Hap Seng Land Sdn Bhd and Alexander Lo Tzone Leong, Executive Director, Grand Dynamic Builders Sdn Bhd.

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Topping-Out Ceremony

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1 Utama Goes Cashless Shoppers can now enjoy cashless shopping, seamless electronic payment, better deals and convenience

Utama Shopping Centre has gone cashless by introducing its own digital 1PAY E-wallet and online shopping website ONESHOP.com.my. With the newly launched services, 1 Utama is officially the pioneer mall in the country to develop the 1st retail mall E-wallet and E-Commerce platform to drive the nation’s digital economy forward for electronic cashless payments in malls and digitalise the retail mall landscape. The 1PAY E-wallet is an enhancement of 1 Utama’s existing loyalty programme ONECARD Privileges, which is also the first mall-wide loyalty programme in the world and the first in the Klang Valley to support both shopping and parking facilities in a mall. “Increasing use of smartphones and social media has incepted into the everyday lives of Malaysians, so we need to embrace tech and innovation in order to stay relevant to changing consumer demographics and demand for convenience,” said 1 Utama Director Tan Sri Dato’ Teo Chiang Kok at the launch which was officiated by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng. Also at the launch were Dato’ Ng Wan Peng, Chief Operating Officer of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Chairman of National ICT Association of Malaysia (PIKOM), Ganesh Kumar Bangah and Tony Pua, Member of Parliament for Damansara. He added that with the integration of 1PAY into 1 Utama’s mobile app, shoppers can purchase items by scanning a QR code and securely make payment while also earning instant loyalty points known as UPoints in their ONECARD. “You can also link your debit, credit cards and even bank account to top up, receive and transfer money,” he stated. Aside from 1 Utama, 1PAY can also be used at participating merchants in Bandar Utama including those at One World Hotel, Centrepoint and The Club. “At 1 Utama, we believe in investing

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in a seamless retail ecosystem that unifies both online shopping with physical stores within the mall. With ONESHOP.com.my, customers enjoy the ease and convenience shopping even from home. Our brick-and-mortar stores still dominate in appealing to people who appreciate the ability to touch and try on a product in-store. This way we achieve the best of both worlds to nurture more sales and engagement.” ONESHOP.com.my presents an opportunity for 1 Utama to grow and expand on its omnichannel marketing especially with the explosive rise of E-commerce globally by combining online, which includes PC, mobile and tablet devices, with offline in-store experiences. “ONESHOP allows us to cross beyond borders to reach customers worldwide, who, with a click of a button are able to shop from retailers in our mall. This gives our tenants greater exposure in overseas markets, while also bringing Malaysian brands to the world and encouraging tourism for Malaysia.” Tan Sri Teo added that future plans included a new ONESHOP mobile app, a LUXE page for high-value brands, locker service and curbside potter pickup. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng commended 1Utama for

paving the way for a shift towards e-payments in the retail industry. ”We hope to see more retailers embracing this sift so that more Malaysians can enjoy an easier, secure and reliable payment method besides cash transactions.” The retail industry as a whole was favourable for this year, he said. Data from the Department of Statistics showed a 5.7 per cent increase in wholesale and retail trade value this year to RM112.5 billion, compared to RM106.5 billion in 2018. “The overall 5.7 per cent growth was driven by the expansion of retail sales which grew 7.1 per cent in July 2019 to RM46.2 billion, from RM43.4 billion a year ago,” he said. Retail sales for January-July 2019 increased 7.9 per cent to RM308.5 billion from the RM285.8 billion recorded during the same period a year ago. The Malaysian Shopping Malls Association forecasted a 4.5 per cent growth. He added that the retail sector was not about e-commerce versus physical stores anymore. “It is now about having a combination of both online and offline retail solutions, and it may even involve online-to-offline strategy to deliver Malaysians with the best shopping experience.”

uring the Malaysia International Retail & Franchise (MIRF 2019) exhibition at the Kula Lumpur Convention Centre in July 2019 organised Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA), a joint collaboration was mooted by three renowned captains in the F&B industry – Big Onion Food Caterer Sdn Bhd, Liang Associate Chains Sdn Bhd and Penang Chendul. This collaboration was sealed on 21 October with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by Mr Liang Foo Kuan, Managing Director of Big Onion Food Caterer Sdn Bhd, Mr Von Fah, Chuang of Penang Chendul and Mr Jarvin Leow, CEO of Liang Sandwich. Witnessing the signing ceremony which was held at the Raintree Skybar Chakri Palace@Rooftop at Skri Hartamas, were the Guests of Honour HRH Prince Norodom Naravong of CAMBODIA and MRCA President, Datuk Seri Garry Chua. “We are constantly improving ourselves in giving better quality, choices and services to our customers who are always looking for new and creative presentation of the food. This collaboration will provide our customers an opportunity to savour the food from Penang Chendul and Liang Sandwich Bar,” said Mr Liang. Big Onion stared as a humble restaurant business more than

30 years ago and over the years evolved into a premier food caterer in the Klang Valley. As a top notch professional food caterer, Big Onion pays careful attention to details, besides offering delectable and hygienic HALAL food, and this has resulted in the company garnering many commendations from its happy clientele. Big Onion is also into the juice bar business and currently has 15 outlets at

leading shopping malls nationwide. The Liang Sandwich Bar is one of the leading fast food chain in China with over 12,800 outlets spanning across 300 cities in China, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, and Australia and New Zealand. In Malaysia, the outlets are in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Perak, Pahang, Melaka, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak. Penang Chendul was founded more than 70 years ago, is an iconic presence in Georgetown. Founded by the late Tan Teik Fuang in 1936, the stall’s distinctive chendul flavours have become a gastronomic favourite and is among Penang’s most enduring tourist attractions. Today, Penang Chendul continues to uphold its founder’s dream of taking chendul to the world.

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F&B Trio Sign Memorandum Of Understanding

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Travel & Razzle Sunway Lagoon offers admission rate privileges to Garuda Indonesia passengers. assengers flying Garuda Indonesia into Malaysia can now enjoy a 20% discount on published admission rates into Sunway Lagoon in Sunway City, Petaling Jaya. To enjoy this offer they have to present their original boarding pass or GarudaMiles card at Sunway Lagoon’s ticketing counter within seven days of arrival in Malaysia. The offer will be valid through December 2020, following a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

between Indonesia’s national airline and Malaysia’s premier themed destination. Signing on behalf of Sunway Lagoon was Calvin Ho, Senior General Manager of Sunway Theme Parks while Garuda Indonesia was represented by Fredrik Kasiepo, General Manager of Garuda Indonesia (Malaysia). “The signing of this MoU marks a significant milestone for Sunway Lagoon as we continue to expand our reach in Asia, true to our recent acclaim as one of the top 10 most visited theme

L-R: Michelle Gregory, Marketing Director of Sunway Lagoon, Calvin Ho, Senior General Manager of Sunway Theme Parks, Fredrik Kasiepo, General Manager, Garuda Indonesia (Malaysia Branch) and David Wooi, Account Sales & Marketing Manager, Garuda, after signing the MOU.

Sunway Theme Parks team and Garuda Indonesia team at the MoU signing ceremony.

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parks, according to 2018 TEA/AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index. In recent times, we have witnessed a steadily growing number of visitors from Indonesia and as such, we wanted to make the appeal of visiting Sunway Lagoon more enticing for our neighbours from Indonesia, which led to this latest development with Garuda Indonesia,” said Calvin Ho. Tourist arrivals from Indonesia marked a significant increase of 17.2% with 3,277,689 tourists entering Malaysia from Indonesia between January and December 2018, owing to significant efforts by travel agents, distributors and airlines offering travellers tactical promotions through travel packages and competitive airfares. This year, Malaysia expects the number of Indonesian tourists to increase to 3.6 million. “As the flagship carrier of Indonesia, it is our commitment to continuously improve our service and provide added value to our passenger throughout 90 destinations worldwide, including Malaysia. This collaboration will certainly go a long way in our pursuit of delivering top value to our guests, and look forward to a fruitful partnership with them,” said Fredrik Kasiepo. With more than 500 daily flights and a fleet of more than 200 aircraft, Garuda Indonesia serves its passengers with the award-winning “Garuda Indonesia Experience”, which has earned the airline a 5-star rating by Skytrax. Sunway Lagoon offers over 90 rides and attractions spread across six themed parks – Water Park, Amusement Park, Extreme Park, Wildlife Park, Scream Park and Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon, the first- Nickelodeon-branded attraction in Asia – promising a plethora of outdoor fun and excitement for both young and old. Reputed as ‘Asia’s Best Attraction’, some of the thrilling rides include the World’s First Waterplexx 5D and Malaysia’s Largest Water Ride, Vuvuzela, as well as Malaysia’s largest man-made Sandy Surf Beach where one can ride the waves.

A MRC

MRCA NEWS THAT APPEARED IN THE MEDIA RECENTLY

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