Malaysia Retailer I Vol 9 I No 1 I Vettons Dato’ Sri Dr. How Kok Choong

Vol 9 No 1 2021

Vettons,

Poised for Game-changer Business Model Dato’ Sri Dr How Kok Choong, Co-Chairman, Vettons Sdn Bhd

A Time to Soar!

WM RM9 / EM RM11

MRCA CEO Get-together

CONTENTS / VOL. 9 NO. 1

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MRCA CEO Get-together 2021

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Key to Unlocking the ASEAN Store of the Future

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COVER STORY

ON THE COVER

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Vettons, Poised for Game-changer Business Model

Dato’ Sri Dr. How Kok Choong, Co-Chairman of Vettons Sdn Bhd explains the dynamics of Vettons to create a lifestyle ecosystem for consumers in driving e-commerce to greater heights with Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Cloud technology and more.

MRCA EVENTS 8 MRCA CEO Get-together 2021 10 A Time to Soar!

12 MRCA CNY Charity Donation 2021 13 MRCA Women Division Committee Members Bring Cheer to Underprivileged Children

14 “A Good Deed A Week” – MRCA in Dato’ Sri Dr How Kok Choong, Co-Chairman of Vettons Sdn Bhd

Partnership with Malaysia Business Group

A Time to Soar!

MRCA NEWS 15 MRCA Revamps its Website 15 Calendar of Events

MARKET INFO 16 PEMERKASA Assistance Package 18 Perlindungan Ekonomi & Rakyat Malaysia (PERMAI) Assistance Package worth RM15 billion

20 A Positive Attitude Amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic Crisis

22 MRA Report: Retailers See Lower Growth Rate for 2021

24 SOBA 2020: Honouring the Best in Malaysian Businesses

26 Key to Unlocking the ASEAN Store of the Future

29 Updates & News

Cover Story

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Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

Vettons, Poised for Game-changer Business Model Dato’ Sri Dr. How Kok Choong, Co-chairman of Vettons Sdn Bhd explains the dynamics of Vettons to create a lifestyle ecosystem for consumers in driving e-commerce to greater heights with Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Cloud technology and more.

ith the world moving rapidly into digital landscape, Vettons Sdn Bhd, a homegrown Malaysian technology solutions provider, has made a commitment in creating a ‘companion app’ connecting the ecosystem to help users to automate daily life. The Founding team – Dato’ Sri Ng Sing Huat, Cyrus Chew and Dato’ Sri Dr. How Kok Choong, are set to create a dynamic ecosystem for consumers while empowering Malaysian entrepreneurs with digital technology in harnessing business opportunities.

Vettons made its first foray into e-commerce in 2015 and since then the company has been aggressively developing its e-commerce platform, the first vertical of its lifestyle ecosystem. “We launched our e-commerce platform in July 2020, while Malaysia and the rest of the world was experiencing tough times; and the response was overwhelming.

“This would not have been possible without the help of our loyal merchants. We knew then

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and there that we were introducing an authentic solution for various market issues faced by plenty of businesses in Malaysia,” says Dato’ Sri Dr. How. Vettons’ e-commerce ecosystem has since expanded and will be launching several apps that complement the User app, namely Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

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Cover Story

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Vettons prides itself in being the only platform that utilises many industry firsts, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) to assist customers in their shopping experience. the Merchant app, Brand app, Trade app and Fleet app. Meanwhile, the Vettons City Ecosystem comprises the Smart app, Facility app, Property App, Services App, and Utility App. Speaking about the inspiration behind Vettons, Dato’ Sri Dr. How explains, “It wasn’t just an inspiration, it was a dream that became a reality. In today’s dynamic business environment, time has become a precious asset which Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

is much needed to achieve great things. So, we at Vettons aspire to create a ‘lifestyle ecosystem’ app that moves mankind forward, by optimising time for everyone.”

“We hope to see Vettons as a ‘companion app’ for everyone, starting with Malaysians and eventually, the rest of the world!” he adds.

Targeted at consumers who value authentic products and fast delivery,

Vettons promises consumers peace of mind when purchasing online.

The company professes to be a closed marketplace that works with legitimate brands and only allows authorised merchants to sell products on its platform. “This important and painstaking process ensures all products sold on our platform are 100% genuine,” says Dato’ Sri Dr. How. Vettons prides itself in being the only platform that utilises many industry firsts, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) to assist customers in their shopping experience. “These two are the first of many that we intend to introduce in our lifestyle ecosystem,” he adds.

The rationale behind the use of AR is to help users visualise

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products, its actual scale and colour.

The Vettons team essentially applies this feature on bulky items such as furniture. With AR in place, consumers are able to literally visualize and evaluate if the piece of furniture fits into the intended space before purchasing it.

He also adds that Vettons is embracing the latest Cloud and AI technology to help accelerate its ecosystem development. “This will eventually translate into better user experience, faster decision-making, improved efficiency, and ultimately offer great selling and buying experiences,” explains Dato’ Sri Dr. How. To-date, Vettons garnered 500,000 user downloads with over 35,000 transactions and almost RM5 million in gross merchandising value (GMV). With tremendous market potential in the horizon, Vettons is set to drive massive changes by the third quarter of 2021. “We are planning for yet another exciting Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

Cover Story

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introduction, which will disrupt the market in Q3/Q4 2021,” he states.

The platform features an extensive selection of products, spanning home appliances to fashion and looking to expand.

What is also important, is to connect consumers with a broad choice of local service providers and new businesses with a variety of services to help with everyday mundane tasks. This is because an effective lifestyle ecosystem that connects consumers with an array of services ultimately saves consumers time.

Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

Seven months into its market inception, Vettons has successfully listed close to 50,000 consumer products, and is currently on a mission to list 500,000 products and services by the end of 2021. “We are constantly reaching out to retailer groups that are still operating offline during these challenging times. We are in talks with many SME retailers across the nation, especially East Malaysia,” Dato’ Sri Dr. How shares.

As a visionary Malaysian technology company, Vettons is ahead of its game – the company

has its own state-of-the-art Geolocation feature that enables customers to locate and choose their preferred stores to expedite deliveries. The company also has its own same-day delivery services called Vettons NOW, which is more advantageous than on-demand services used by other players as the company works with all market segments.

As Vettons continues to drive its e-commerce innovation, Dato’ Sri Dr. How shares a more realistic and practical viewpoint of the company’s stance on the SME segment, “I believe that mirroring the same initiatives as other big e-commerce players in the country is not a suitable direction for Vettons at the moment. We are still new in the market, and we have a lot to learn about the industry before we are ready to introduce worthwhile incentives to SMEs.” “Our leadership team is working hard to create solutions for businesses, with the Malaysian people’s interest at heart. I would encourage everyone to follow us on Facebook or download our app to keep abreast with our latest initiatives,” he adds.

On Vettons’ recent collaboration with MRCA, Dato’ Sri Dr. How explains, “Vettons is extremely humbled and appreciative of this collaboration – so much so that we have dedicated a merchant account development team, to better educate and promote the brands and merchants that have come on board our platform. Furthermore, the added partnerships will help us drive more traffic to our app, and promote brand awareness.”

The partnership entails monthly webinar workshops, conducted by Vettons, to promote e-marketplace services and recruit MRCA members.

On that note, Dato’ Sri Dr. How encourages MRCA members to leverage on this platform as Vettons is set to be a part of a grander

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About Dato’ Sri Dr. How Kok Choong

The company also has its own sameday delivery services called Vettons NOW, which is more advantageous than on-demand services used by other players as the company works with all market segments. ecosystem that caters to the needs of all Malaysians.

The company is also collaborating with Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (ANGKASA), which has been endorsed by the Malaysian government to represent the cooperative movement in the country, both on the national level and internationally.

To-date, ANGKASA has 6 million members nationwide. “From this strategic partnership, we will implement a pilot test with one of the many entities in ANGKASA,

namely Koperasi Yayasan Guru Malaysia Berhad (Koperasi YGMB), whereby we will introduce a “Buy Now, Pay Later” programme.

ANGKASA members will get to shop on Vettons, and payment can be made later via their 12-month salary deduction programme – Skim Potongan Gaji ANGKASA (SPGA),” explains Dato’ Sri Dr. How. Under this programme, members of Koperasi YGMB will get to select Vettons Points (VP) packages ranging from RM4,000 up to RM10,000 with 0% interest and

Dato’ Sri Dr. How Kok Choong – who hails from Raub, Pahang, the durian capital of Malaysia – is a businessman and investor with business interests in various industries.

He holds a MBA & DBA in Total Quality Management (TQM), and is a Certified Merger & Acquisitions Adviser, Certified Financial Consultant and Certified Professional Trainer from the United Kingdom. He is currently pursuing Certified Management Accountant course for his additional professional credential.

1.5% VP cashback. This programme is expected to deliver an additional GMV of about RM700 million by the end of 2021.

With a growing footprint, Vettons currently occupies 45,000 sq ft of office space in Damansara Perdana with 215 employees. By the end of 2021, the company plans to expand its workforce to 400 employees.

Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

MRCA Event

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MRCA CEO Get-together 2021 About 50 MRCA members attended the CEO Get-together hosted by Vettons Sdn Bhd at its headquarters in Sungei Penchala, Kuala Lumpur, in April. mong those who attended were the Chairman of Vettons Dato’ Sri Ng Sing Huat, CEO of Vettons Cyrus Chew, Co-chairman of Vettons Dato’ Sri Dr How Kok Choong, Deputy President of MRCA Dato’ Liew Bin, immediate Past President of MRCA Datuk Seri Gary Chua, President’s Advisor Dato’ Vincent Choo, Vice Presidents Datuk Seri KK Chai, Valerie Choo and Ken Phua, Secretary General Stan Singh, Deputy Secretary General Raymond Woo, Deputy Treasurer General Dato’ Alex Wong Che Sing and Council members Dr Affendi Dahlan, Brian Tham, Liang Foo Kuan, Seak Thean Pow and Aiveen Wong.

The CEO Get-together session is in line with MRCA’s objective to facilitate and enhance networking among its members for business development and expansion.

Organising Chairman, Ken

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Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

Phua, welcomed the guests and thanked Vettons for hosting the event at its premises while MRCA President Shirley Tay in her address encouraged MRCA members to collaborate with Vettons, an e-commerce company, for mutual benefit. MRCA is partnering with Vettons to bring retail businesses onto their online shopping platform.

Through this strategic partnership, MRCA hopes its members can expand their reach towards more digital-savvy consumers and leverage on Vettons’ online assets, expertise and features.

Dato’ Sri Dr How gave an in-depth presentation on how MRCA members can benefit by collaborating with Vettons.

Later, Shirley Tay presented a Token of Appreciation to Dato’ Sri Dr How. After the presentation, all guests were treated to a delicious spread of food and drinks.

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Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

MRCA Event

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A Time to Soar!

MRCA presented a webinar and dialogue session featuring seasoned entrepreneurs with strong track record in business, both locally and internationally.

Date 7 April 2021 Panelists

• Datuk Seri Garry Chua, MRCA Immediate Past

President and Group Managing Director of Rotol Group

• Dato’ Sri Dr How KokX Choong, MRCA President Advisor and Co-chairman of Vettons Sdn Bhd

• Dato’ Vincent Choo Kok Leong, MRCA President

Advisor and Managing Director of Urban Ideas Sdn Bhd

Moderator Neil Foo, Group Chairman of MCOM Holdings Berhad he session entitled “A Time To Soar” reflected on the current economic developments amidst the pandemic, market opportunities as well as changing retail trends.

Shirley Tay, President of MRCA, was on hand to deliver the welcome address.

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MACRO-ECONOMIC VIEW In reflecting on the macro-economic conditions in Malaysia amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Datuk Seri Garry said that the dynamics of the world economy has changed drastically.

“There has been a lot of realignment of wealth,” he noted.

He reminisced on Elon Musk, who was once struggling in the USA, but emerged successful once he moved his electric car manufacturing operations to China. Datuk Seri Garry also mentioned Walmart which did offline traditional business all the while and today, they have a strong online following. “This is the way to go forward – we have to fight another day during this pandemic,” he stressed.

Datuk Seri Garry explained that Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

the pandemic has taught a few lessons – in business, entrepreneurs need to act fast, be decisive and take drastic action.

“If we need to cut losses, do it fast. If not, it will be cumulative and damaging to the company,” he shared. He also stressed that in business, one needed to be adaptive and innovative, especially during difficult times. The key to success is to optimise operational cost, and realign the business to harness future business opportunities.

“Post-COVID-19, we need to identify the industries that will swing back. Essential items are doing very well,” he pointed out. He expressed confidence that there are positive business prospects in the future with the vaccine on the table.

Dato’ Sri Dr How, on the other hand, shared about his personal experiences in navigating the challenging business landscape. “All companies have different cultures and business models. My core business is in property development, construction and hotels,” he said.

During the last one year, Dato’ Sri Dr How shared that he transformed

his business by diversifying revenue streams. “I made several investments during the trade war between China and the USA,” he added. During the tumultuous economic periods of 1997, 2008 and the current pandemic situation, he said that he overcame those challenges with a positive mind.

“We have to take up other skills. Six years ago, I sold my hotel business and in 2019, I invested in the solar panel business in Vietnam,” he shared. His investments paid off and in 2019, the company managed to achieve a financial turnover of USD130 million, and in 2020, turnover stood at USD200 million. “No matter what, you have to be decisive and positive,” he advised. He also rode on the wave of digitalisation by investing in digital marketing.

Dato’ Vincent shared his journey in setting up his Subway chain of restaurants in 2004. “From one store, we now have more than 200 stores,” he said.

He added that when the pandemic hit, most people did not know what to expect, and were

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hoping that it would all go away within a few weeks. However, the situation has remained over the last one and a half years. “During the pandemic, my stores struggled.

At the same time, many other F&B players were also struggling,” he recalled.

Dato’ Vincent pointed out that the key to survival is reigning even small costs. “For instance, in my stores food costs were controlled and reduced, without having to reduce staff salary,” he explained.

During this time, Dato’ Vincent noted that his company maximised the time to train staff, while improving business operations. “There are times when we need to work harder, and have a determination to survive,” he advised.

MALAYSIA’S RETAIL DYNAMICS AND HEADWINDS In reflecting on the retail dynamics and headwinds amidst the pandemic, Datuk Seri Garry noted, “During the first MCO, it was not that bad and many SMEs had reserves, while some did not even have reserves up to 6 months.”

He highlighted that one of the biggest challenges during that period was rental. He observed that some landlords were very kind, while others were not. He stressed that cashflow is very important, and that liquidating assets is one strategy to obtain cash at hand.

Dato’ Sri Dr How explained that Malaysia has lots of opportunities

and diversity is the key to survival.

Last year, he acquired a property development company foreseeing improvements in the economy in future.

“During the pandemic, we tendered for a digital project with Alibaba offered by a Singaporean company. We competed against a Singaporean company and a Hong Kong-based company, and my company got it. The moral of the story is to keep going, never give up and harness every opportunity in the market where possible.”

Dato’ Vincent explained that in the last few months sales had improved in many of his Subway stores, and in some locations it had achieved a level that was even better than pre-pandemic turnover.

He attributed this to food delivery services which had helped to ramp up sales for many F&B businesses. He shared that branding in the market is important for survival, “For instance, Subway has been in the market for the last 17 years, so people know the brand.”

THE GOVERNMENT’S ASSISTANCE TO BUSINESSES On the government’s efforts to provide assistance to businesses in Malaysia, Datuk Seri Garry said, “Credit should be given to the government for all the subsidies offered. It has saved a lot of jobs. The moratorium enforced by Bank Negara Malaysia was very proactive. The B40 group were well taken care of.”

He pointed out that one area that

can be improved is to address rental laws to help retailers and SMEs. “This can be streamlined and laws can be implemented to address this area,” he noted.

Dato’ Sri Dr How urged for a dialogue between MRCA and the government to raise issues faced by the local business community.

Dato’ Vincent noted that last year the government had given financial support to businesses which has been very helpful, and due to this effort many retailers have been able to survive the challenging times.

On e-commerce, Dato’ Sri Dr How elaborated that his company, Vettons, has been creating innovative disruptions in the market.

“We have an eco-system to reduce the financial burden of merchants.

As we expand throughout the world, we will bring our merchants’ products across global markets. Our ultimate goal is to help merchants survive and leverage on the digital platform,” he added.

On the subject of diversification, Dato’ Vincent said that he started a few new brands recently. “We started planning and conceptualising 2 years ago,” he said and added that the experience he and his wife gained in business over the years have helped to fuel his new businesses, which he hopes to hand over to his children in time to come.

With the change in consumer buying behaviour, the panelists agree that businesses should identify emerging trends and promptly harness business opportunities in the market.

At the same time, while cash is king, Datuk Seri Garry added, “With cash, there are many opportunities to invest or buy into companies.”

Dato’ Vincent said that in the F&B industry, a strong brand presence is mission critical.

“Location is very important. I have opened many Subway outlets. To build a strong brand, quantity is important,” he added.

Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

MRCA Event

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MRCA CNY Charity Donation 2021 n conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration, the MRCA Branding Education Charity Foundation donated a total of RM10,000 in cash to five selected non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The five NGOs are: • Good Samaritan Home • Beautiful Gate • Persatuan Insan Istimewa Cheras Selangor • Persatuan Kebajikan Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Insan (PKKII) • Persatuan Kebajikan Kanak-kanak Terencat Akal Malaysia – IQ70 With the setting of the Branding Education Charity Foundation in 2010, MRCA began its corporate social responsibility programmes to provide financial assistance and relief to the poor and needy through visitations and donations to charitable homes during Malaysia’s main festive seasons such as Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Deepavali and Christmas.

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Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

Objectives of the MRCA Branding Education Charity Foundation

• To receive and administer funds for medical, educational and charitable purposes.

• To provide medical and surgical facilities and services.

• To organise, carry out and support schemes for the relief of human suffering and treatment of sicknesses and diseases.

• To assist, aid and give relief and to render financial assistance to the poor and needy.

• To provide educational assistance to the needy and the most deserving students.

• In addition, MRCA also gives recognition fund to the children of members and staff who have achieved excellent results in the UPSR, PT3, SPM and STPM examinations.

Through these donations, MRCA hopes to create awareness amongst the public about the importance of reaching out and helping the less fortunate and underprivileged.

MRCA Branding Education Charity Foundation Trustees • Datuk Lee Hwa Cheng,

Chairman of MRCA Branding Education Charity Foundation (2020-2022) • Dato’ Eddie Choon • Datuk Albert Chiang • Dato’ Tay Sim Kim • Datuk Seri Nelson Kwok JP • Dato’ Liaw Choon Liang JP • Datuk Seri Garry Chua

RCA 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 which ran from 8 February until 7 March 2021.

The “A Good Deed A Week” charity campaign was initiated by its President Shirley Tay together with the MRCA Charity Members who Contributed Committee. Shirley Tay, who 1. Sunrider International (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd witnessed the mock cheque 2. Bannerking Sdn Bhd presentation, noted that the 3. Solution Risk Consultants Sdn Bhd campaign is to spread love and 4. MBA Crew Sdn Bhd good cheer, as a little goes a 5. Milestone Production Sdn Bhd MRCA’s ladies presenting a mock long way.

6. Fitline (M) Sdn Bhd cheque to Home of Peace caretaker Justine Morais in support of “A Good “The campaign concept is 7. Cravito Group Sdn Bhd (Myeongdong Deed A Week” campaign. very simple; we believe that we Topokki) can build a virtuous cycle by 8. Loob Holding Sdn Bhd (Tealive) encouraging good deeds. While As the home’s residents are 9. Ezzybucks Sdn Bhd (Vanilla Crepe) doing a good deed a day may from underprivileged families 10. FMC Greenland Sdn Bhd (BMS Organics) be a burden to some, doing or have experienced some 11. KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd a good deed a week is much form of abuse before, Justine 12. Marrybrown Sdn Bhd more manageable, and it can Morais is especially protective 13. Big Onion Food Caterer Sdn Bhd be very simple gestures. We of the children, and there is a 14. Kuuvancha (M) Sdn Bhd hope that this simple initiative strict house rule of not allowing 15. Chin Swee Food Sdn Bhd can inspire more people to photography with any of them.

16. YYC GST Consultants Sdn Bhd contribute in their own way, Justine commented, “Since even beyond the campaign the start of the MCO last year, period,” she stated. we have been trying to raise funds of the funds collected have been Led by MRCA Treasurer General to ensure we have enough to sustain earmarked for classroom furniture cum Women Division Chief Dato’ the Home, and this contribution is and educational toys. The balance of Winnie Lim, her Women committee really a great help to us. Since the the funds will be used to purchase members brought hand sanitizers, children’s needs are all provided, groceries and other daily needs. masks and vitamins suitable for the we save all their festive ang pows Dato’ Winnie said the Women’s 17 children at the Home of Peace. for their education fund when they Division has also shown great Besides providing a simple lunch of are 18 years old.” support for the campaign. “One of Subway sandwich sets, the children Since the inception of MRCA’s our committee members cut her were also given “ang pows” and “A Good Deed A Week” campaign in waist length hair for Locks of Hope, soft toys. early February, MRCA members have a NGO which collects human hair Home of Peace, at Taman Bukit been distributing food and drinks to make wigs for cancer patients, Indah, Jalan Klang Lama, is currently to deserving frontliners. Individuals especially children. Others have home to 17 children aged between also chipped in by contributing been providing food hampers to the 4 years and 19 years. The home’s rice and fresh vegetables, among needy. Each time we can contribute, dedicated caretaker, Justine Morais others, to orphanages and senior we make this world a little better home-schools the children, and some citizen homes. for everyone,” she said.

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Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

MRCA Event

MRCA Women Division Committee Members Bring Cheer to Underprivileged Children

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MRCA Event

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“A Good Deed A Week” – MRCA in Partnership with Malaysia Business Group RCA recently partnered with the Malaysia Business Group to deliver 290 boxes of Kotak Kebahagiaan food aid boxes worth more than RM23,490 to four charitable foundations as part of MRCA’s charity campaign “A Good Deed A Week” which ended on 30 March 2021.

The four beneficiaries were The Great Heart Charity, Persatuan Kebajikan Kanak-Kanak Mata Air Kehidupan Selangor, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Ikhlas KL and Pertubuhan Pembangunan HOPE Selangor.

MRCA’s “A Good Deed A Week” charity campaign was initiated by its President, Shirley Tay. Since its inception in early February, MRCA members have been distributing food and drinks to deserving frontliners. Individuals also chipped in by contributing rice and fresh vegetables, among others, to orphanages and senior citizen homes.

Led by MRCA Charity Head Jordan Ng together with the help of MRCA Charity Committee, the

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Kotak Kebahagiaan were prepared and well packed by the Malaysia Business Group’s team at Linaco Group at its warehouse. The food aid boxes contained beverages, biscuits, cookies, candies, snacks and cooking condiments.

During the first implementation of Movement Control Order (MCO) in 2020, the Malaysia Business Group had distributed 1,000 boxes of Kotak Kebahagiaan food aid boxes to underprivileged families and charitable foundations. For the Kotak Kebahagiaan 2.0, 25 Malaysian food and beverage manufacturers gave their products to complete the food aid boxes.

With the higher number of participants, the Malaysia Business Group was able to prepare 2,000 boxes of Kotak Kebahagiaan worth more than RM160,000, to be distributed to various charitable homes and underprivileged families this year.

The Malaysia Business Group was started by a group of business professionals from the food & beverage manufacturing industry

with the aim to position itself as the preferred and globally competitive trading partner to the rest of the world. The group provides networking prospects, knowledge exchange, and develop effective relationships between various business chambers and trade expo organisers to further facilitate business opportunities for their clients.

The 25 participating Malaysian companies were:

• Asia Food & Beverage Sdn Bhd • Bionutricia Manufacturing Sdn Bhd

• Bon Food Sdn Bhd • Coconut Water (COWA) Sdn Bhd • Deluxe Rich Sdn Bhd • Ever Fragrance Food Sdn Bhd • Foodvisa Sdn Bhd • Ganda Kota Sdn Bhd • GFB Food Sdn Bhd • Hexa Food Sdn Bhd • Karta International Sdn Bhd • KHH Double Lion Fruit Juice Manufacturing Sdn Bhd

• Koon Brother Sdn Bhd • Lifestyle Ventures Sdn Bhd • Linaco Food Industries Sdn Bhd • Nanotronic (M) Sdn Bhd • Nicko Jeep Manufacture Sdn Bhd

• Porrima (M) Sdn Bhd • QL Foods Sdn Bhd • Rasaku Marketing Sdn Bhd • SCS Food Manufacturing Sdn Bhd

• SKS Food Industries (M) Sdn Bhd

• Spices & Seasonings Specialities Sdn Bhd

• Vermi Industries Sdn Bhd • Yuen Chun Industries Sdn Bhd

Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

15 MRCA News

MRCA Revamps its Website ith a fresh new look, the website which is also mobile-friendly, was designed to ensure that important announcements and relevant news in all areas of interest would reach its members in a timely manner.

The new website has information on the association, membership, new members for the respective months and members’ company logos with hyperlink to members’ respective websites, MRCA’s various divisions, upcoming events and activities, past events for reference, Government’s news as well as news on MRCA’s partners and sponsors, among others.

There are also features containing integrated social media buttons for Facebook, YouTube and Linkedin to foster better communication among MRCA members “We will continue our concerted efforts to update our website with helpful information to expedite our messaging process. Our goal remains to strive and serve our members better!” the association said in a statement.

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2020 EVENTS CALENDAR OCTOBER 29

JUNE 25 MRCA COUNCIL INSTALLATION NIGHT VENUE: ONE WORLD HOTEL

JULY 30 CEO NIGHT VENUE: (TBA)

MRCA ANNIVERSARY DINNER

CHARITY GOLF

VENUE: (TBA)

VENUE: (TBA)

NOVEMBER 18

Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

Market Info

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Assistance Package

By Dato’ Seri Dr. Raymond Liew, an entrepreneur Tax Advisor & President of McMillan Woods, a global business advisory network.

he Malaysian Government announced the Strategic Programme to Empower the People and Economy (PEMERKASA) valued at RM20 billion on 17 March 2021. The PEMERKASA Package comprises 20 strategic initiatives, the majority of which targets to provide financial assistance to individuals and businesses.

The objectives of PEMERKASA are curbing the

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TOURISM SECTORS

ONE-TIME SPECIAL ASSISTANCE GRANT & CASH ASSISTANCE

For the tourism sectors, the Government has extended the exemption of tourism tax and service tax for hotel accommodation and any other relevant taxable services under Group A, First Schedule of the Service Tax Regulation until 31 December 2021 to promote domestic tourism.

The Government has also announced a one-time Special Assistance Grant of RM3,000 for 5,000 tour agencies registered with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) and a one-time cash assistance of RM600 for 4,000 homestay operators registered with MOTAC. This will help ease the cashflow problems faced by businesses in this industry.

ENTERTAINMENT DUTY EXEMPTION IN THE FEDERAL TERRITORIES Admission fees to entertainment venues such as theme parks, stage shows, sporting events and movie screenings in the Federal Territories would be exempted from entertainment duty. This is to encourage more visitors as these businesses were not allowed to operate during the MCO. Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

spread of COVID-19, speed up economic recovery, strengthening the nation’s competitiveness, ensuring inclusiveness of all regions and communities and transforming the economy. The Government’s introduction of the PEMERKASA Assistance Package to revitalise the country’s economy is timely.

There are several initiatives that had been announced in this assistance package.

INCOME TAX RELIEF The scope for income tax relief of RM1,000 currently given to individuals for payment of qualifying travel expenses including accommodation at premises registered with MOTAC and entrance fees to tourism attractions has been expanded to include purchase of tourism packages from travel agencies registered with MOTAC. This will help boost the business of travel agencies that is greatly affected by the pandemic.

TAX

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DEFERMENT OF MONTHLY INCOME TAX PAYMENTS IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY Companies that are operating in the tourism industry, as well as a few other industries such as cinema and spa operators are entitled to defer their monthly income tax payments from 1 April to 31 December 2021 to boost their cash flows.

CONTRIBUTION TO HRDF DEFERRED TILL JUNE 2021 In addition, businesses in the tourism and retail sectors are excluded from the Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) levy until June 2021.

Companies operating in the manufacturing sector and manufacturing-related services are entitled to claim an additional deduction of up to RM50,000 for expenses on the rental of premises and workers’ hostels. The conditions to be fulfilled in order to claim this relief are that the companies must be registered with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) from 1 April 2021 onwards and must pass the Safe @ Work compliance audit.

TARGET RELIEF & RECOVERY FACILITY (TRRF)

EXTENSION OF 10% DISCOUNT ON ELECTRICITY BILLS Furthermore, there is an extension of the existing 10% discount on electricity bills for hoteliers, theme parks, conference centers, shopping malls, local airline offices and tour and travel companies until the 30 June 2021.

DOUBLE TAX DEDUCTION FOR SCREENING TEXT COSTS Employers are entitled to claim a double tax deduction for screening test costs on their employees from 1st January 2021 to 31st December 2021, as an incentive to encourage employers to increase screening of their employees to support the government’s efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

ADDITIONAL REDUCTION DEDUCTION ON RENTAL OF PREMISES

Bank Negara Malaysia has allocated an additional RM2 billion for its Targeted Relief & Recovery Facility (TRRF), with the objective to help small and medium businesses (SMEs) to recover.

WAGE SUBSIDY PROGRAMME Besides that, RM700 million is set aside to extend the Wage Subsidy Programme 3.0 for a further 3 months for tourism, retail, and wholesale enterprises, as well as businesses that were unable to operate during the Movement Control Order (MCO) such as gyms and spas.

INDIRECT TAXES – 100% EXCISE DUTY EXEMPTION For indirect taxes, a 100% excise duty exemption will be given to locally assembled motorcycles with an engine capacity of 150cc and below under the TEKUN Mobilepreneur programme from 1st April 2021 to 31st December 2021.

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Perlindungan Ekonomi & Rakyat Malaysia (PERMAI) Assistance Package worth RM15 billion

By Compiled by Dato’ Seri Dr. Raymond Liew, Tax Practitioner and President of McMillan Woods, a global business advisory network.

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The Social and Welfare Department (JKM) will implement a food basket programme immediately, which will provide essential food items worth RM100 for each eligible household, involving a total allocation of RM50 million.

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A one-off payment of RM500 for all medical frontliners; RM300 to be given in the first quarter of 2021.

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A total of 3,500 healthcare workers to be recruited, RM150mil allocation.

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Three agreements signed with vaccine producers – first batch of vaccines to arrived in February 2021.

4

RM800 million additional allocation for the Health Ministry (for supplies including additional reagents, screening kits as well as PPE equipment).

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RM200 million for the National Security Council and other relevant agencies.

6

Medical expense relief for personal tax be increased from RM500 to RM1,000 to include testing for COVID-19.

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Moratorium facility, including extension of the moratorium & restructuring of loan repayment will continue to be offered by banks.

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Credit counselling via hotline to be provided by phone and online.

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Special tax reliefs for computers, handphones, and tablets worth below RM2,500 to be extended until 31 December 2021.

Extension of sales tax exemption for locally assembled and imported passenger vehicles until 31 December 2021.

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Free 1 Gigabit data initiative will be extended until the end of April 2021.

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PTPTN borrowers affected by the pandemic or floods, can apply for a three-month PTPTN loan repayment moratorium. Applications for this Moratorium ended on 31 March 2021.

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Wage subsidy programme 3.0 under SOCSO will be enhanced – all employers operating in the MCO states will be eligible to apply, irrespective of sector. RM600 per staff with salary below RM4,000 – limited to 500 staffs.

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Government allocates RM24 million to fund the full contribution under SOCSO’s Self-Employment Social Security Scheme for delivery riders.

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Government to expand the Prihatin Special Grant Plus assistance to cover 500,000 SMEs in the seven MCO states with a payment of RM1,000 each, while 300,000 SMEs in other states will receive RM500 each.

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A one-off financial assistance of RM500 to 14,000 tourist guides as well as 118,000 drivers of taxis, school buses, tour buses, rental cars and e-hailing vehicles, with an additional allocation of RM66mil.

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Special discount of 10% on electricity bills from January to March 2021 to six business sectors nationwide comprising hotel operators, theme parks, convention centres, shopping malls, local airline offices as well as travel and tour agencies.

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Electricity rebates to all TNB users, domestic and nondomestic at a rate of two sen per kilowatt-hour, which is equivalent to a reduction in electricity bills of up to 9% for a period of six months, from 1 January to 30 June 2021.

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A Bus and Taxi Hire Purchase Rehabilitation Scheme introduced, where a 50% guarantee on financing from hire purchase and leasing companies provided for selected buses such as sightseeing buses, and taxis. A guarantee of RM1bil will be provided.

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Government agreed to extend the effective period of inability to perform contractual obligations to 31 March 2021 under the Temporary Measures for Reducing the Impact of COVID-19 Act 2020, or Act 829.

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A Positive Attitude Amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic Crisis To survive this crisis, employees need to adopt a positive attitude and be resourceful in making the best of the workplace and marketplace. They can begin by adopting five positive attitudes.

By Dr Victor SL Tan

e live in a time of an unprecedented crisis.

It is a time of extreme challenges with uncertainties ahead. The coronavirus has indeed adversely affected many individuals, companies, industries, and nations all over the world.

Even though most companies have now resumed their business, they are still suffering from the after effects of the lockdown due to the loss of business opportunities during the past one year. Many companies are facing a slow-down in their business because of the lingering fear of COVID-19 and the constraints of the SOP. Customers are still staying away from shopping complexes and eatery outlets. They are withholding their spending in view of the uncertain future of their livelihood. In view of the shrinking demand, companies are cutting down their production output or services.

However, as I write this article, we have many positive things to look forward to as Malaysia recently lifted the MCO and vaccines being administered to various groups according to a queuing system starting with the frontliners. Nevertheless, many companies are certainly not out of the woods yet.

To survive this crisis, employees need to adopt a positive attitude and be resourceful in making the best of the workplace and marketplace. They can begin this journey by adopting the following five positive attitudes.

In essence, work attitudes arise from the thinking, beliefs and feelings of the employees about various aspects of work and the workplace. According to a Gallup study, negativity in the workplace costs the US economy between $250 billion to $300 billion a year. The best education, skills and talent cannot substitute for a good work attitude.

During this global pandemic crisis, it is timely that leaders spend time to mould the work attitude of their staff to improve their organisation’s performance.

“Attitude,” said Winston Churchill, “is a little thing that makes a big difference.” As the global pandemic crisis continues to loom, companies can make a big difference in their performance if they start getting their workforce to embrace the five desired attitudes in the workplace.

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In the midst of facing this global pandemic, where many have become negative, it is always very encouraging to hear an employee who says that it is possible to solve a problem. Such an emplloyee IT IS believes that anything is possible POSSIBLE if one has a positive mindset, the ATTITUDE will and persistence to pursue the goal until it is achieved. This type of employees subscribe to the philosophy of “whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve”. They simply start by doing what’s needed, then proceed to do what’s possible and attempt what is seemingly impossible. With their effort, perseverance and grit, they soon overcome the odds – moving from impossible to ““It is possible”.

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Many employees are trapped by circumstances, excuses and blame. They become victims due to their attitude of not I AM taking responsibility. However, RESPONSIBLE the moment one takes full ATTITUDE responsibility for what happens, one escapes the clutches of being a victim. As the saying goes, “life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to what happens”. When employees accept the responsibility of their circumstances, they increase the power to change them and transform themselves from being victims to winners. During these challenging times, all staff should take the responsibility and address the challenges they face and overcome them.

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3 TAKING INITIATIVE ATTITUDE

There is one thing that most leaders value highly about their subordinates – doing the right thing at the right time without being told. There are many employees who are too dependent on instructions to do things. There are some who need to be monitored and pressured into doing things. Companies prefer employees who are independent in their thinking, take the initiative to do things and create productive change.

Employees should heed the words of former US President Barack Obama who said, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek”. Indeed, an organisation’s transformation begins with personal transformation, and personal transformation begins when individuals embrace the taking initiative attitude.

In truth, in the workplace or marketplace, all of us are paid to solve problems.

Bosses are always on the lookout for SOLUTIONemployees who have the right attitude DRIVEN towards a problem. Good employees ATTITUDE diagnose the problem, ascertain the root causes and seek possible solutions. They then weigh the pros and cons and select a practical and cost effective solution and implement it. The solution-driven employee is one who has the courage and perseverance to continue to seek solutions to challenging problems. A case in point is that during this COVID-19 crisis, many companies are now looking forward to their staff coming up with new and creative ideas to improve their revenue due to the decreasing demand of their existing products or services.

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4 DO WHATEVER IT TAKES ATTITUDE

A CEO confided in me that he would be very upset each time his staff told him that they would try their best to get something done. He pointed out that trying at something comes across as lacking in self-belief and commitment. When he selects a leader to do something of significance, he does not want them to try to do it. He wants them to do it whatever it takes to achieve success. That’s the kind of determination he wants his top leaders to have about their work.

To overcome these challenging times, employees need to do whatever it takes to increase their performance or productivity as well as manage their cost well.

Dr Victor SL Tan is the CEO of KL Strategic Change Consulting Group.

He undertakes change management consulting and training. He has extensive experience in business turnaround consulting work during the last 2 crises. He is also the author of 11 management books including his latest on Leading Positive & Profitable Change: Change To Survive. For more information, contact him at victorsltan@klscc.com or 012 390 3168.

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Retailers See Lower Growth Rate for 2021 Retailers are estimating an average growth rate of -13.4 per cent in the first quarter of this year as the Movement Control Order (MCO) and CMCO in almost all states of Malaysia in January and February had affected almost all types of retail businesses. ccording to the quarterly survey compiled by Malaysia Retailers Association (MRA) based on feedback from members of the association as well as members of MRCA, department store-cumsupermarket operators, however, are hopeful of better performance during the first quarter of this year.

For this quarter, it expects the business contraction to be smaller at -9.1%.

However, the department store operators do not anticipate a recovery so soon. This retail subsector is expected to suffer with another double-digit negative growth rate of 47.4% for the first 3 months period of this year. Similarly, supermarket and hypermarket operators do not foresee their businesses to return to black during the first quarter of 2021. They

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anticipate their businesses to record another negative growth of 14.0% during this period. (Table 1) Operators of Mini Marts, Convenience Stores and Cooperatives expect their business to grow by 12.5%.

Meanwhile, the business of retailers in the Fashion and Fashion Accessories sub-sector expects a poor growth rate of -40.6% in the first quarter of 2021. Those selling Children and Baby products project their businesses to suffer a decline of 21.5% during the quarter.

The Pharmacy and Personal Care sub-sector expects their businesses to drop by 7.8% during the first quarter of 2021.

Furniture & Furnishing, Home Improvement as well as Electrical & Electronics sub-sector is one of the two subsectors that expect to report positive growth rate during

TABLE 1: 3-MONTH RETAIL SALES FORECAST BY RETAIL SUB-SECTOR, JANUARY-MARCH 2021 Retail Sub-Sector

% growth rate

Overall (weighted) Department store cum supermarket Department store Supermarket and hypermarket Mini-mart, convenience store & coop.

Fashion and fashion accessories Children and baby products* Pharmacy and personal care F&F, Home Improvement and E&E# Other specialty retail stores F&B outlets (cafe and restaurant) F&B outlets (kiosk and stall)

-13.4 -9.1 -47.4 -14.0 +12.5 -40.6 -21.5 -7.8 +14.6 -6.4 -13.4 -14.8

*- include apparel, accessories, equipment, school uniform and toys #- furniture & furnishing, home improvement and electrical and electronics Source: MRA/ MRCA/ Retail Group Malaysia

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this quarter. For the first 3 months period, retail turnover in this subsector is expected to climb by 14.6% as compared to the same period a year ago.

The report also stated that for the fourth quarter of 2020, the retail industry had a discouraging growth of growth rate of -19.7%, as compared to the same period in 2019. (Table 2) The result did not meet the earlier projection by Retail Group Malaysia in November 2020 at -18.2%. It was much lower than the average estimate made by MRA members (at -15.1%) at the end of last year.

The second CMCO was implemented in Klang Valley with a third-wave COVID-19 restriction on interstate travel, restriction on inter district travel, working from home as well as delay in school opening led to significant reduction in shopping traffic in malls, commercial centres and foods and beverages outlets located throughout the country.

“For the whole year of 2020, the retail sales growth rate was -16.3% as compared to the same period a year ago. Last year, the Malaysia retail industry recorded the worst performance since the Asian financial and economic crisis that took place 22 years ago. In 1998, retail sales in Malaysia dropped by 20%,” the report stated.

It further added that during the fourth quarter of 2020, the performances of almost all retail sub-sectors remained poor. The business of Department Store-cumSupermarket sub-sector declined sharply during the last three months

23 TABLE 2 : YEAR ON YEAR PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN RETAIL SALES (WEIGHTED), 2019/20

TABLE 4 : Malaysia Retail Industry Quarterly Growth Rate, 2021

Type

Period

% Growth

Quarter

Growth rate (%)

Retail Sales

Oct-Dec 2019 Jan-Mar 2020 Apr-Jun 2020 Jul-Sep 2020 Oct-Dec 2020 Jan-Dec 2020

3.8 -11.4 -30.9 -9.7 -19.7 -16.3

First Second Third Fourth Whole year

(e) -13.4 (e) +7.0 (e) +4.1 (e) +13.9 (e) +4.1

(e): Estimate Source Retail Group Malaysia

Source: MRA/MRCA/Retail Group Malaysia

of 2020, with a negative growth rate of 26.8 per cent. For the entire year, it recorded a weak performance of -18.7%. (Table 3) The department store sub-sector continued to suffer from reduced revenue during the last quarter. Its business deteriorated with a doubledigit negative growth rate of 44.7% during the fourth quarter.

For the whole year of 2020, the department store sub-sector achieved a growth rate of -38.3%.

It was the worst retail performer among the retail sub-sectors.

“Despite being able to open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the supermarket and hypermarket sub-sector reported yet another poor result during the last quarter,” the report said. For the last quarter of

2020, the retail sales of this subsector declined by 19.6 per cent. For the whole year, its sale dropped by 12 per cent.

The Mini-market, Convenience store, and Cooperative sub-sector were least affected as compared to many other retail sub-sectors. For the last quarter of 2020, it grew by 10.2% while for the entire year, its business expanded by 14.8%.

The Association also revised its growth rate projection downwards from 4.9 per cent to 4.1 per cent for the whole of 2021. (Table 4) This latest revision is also based on other factors of consideration, the report stated.

“More retail businesses will be allowed to open from March 2021.

Nevertheless, movement restrictions

continue to affect shopping traffic throughout the country,” the report said. It added that the interstate travel ban is expected to be enforced for a longer period of time and it has been affecting domestic tourism spending.

“The return of foreign tourists will be slow and gradual. Travel bubbles with selected countries will likely begin towards the end of this year. Vaccination on a majority of the population will take a while.

Thus, movement restrictions and social distancing measures will remain until the end of this year,” it said.

For this entire year consumers’ spending is not expected to recover back to the 2019 level, the report noted.

TABLE 3 : YEAR ON YEAR PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN RETAIL SALESBY RETAIL SUB-SECTOR, 2020 Retail Sub-Sector

1st Qtr

2nd Qtr

3rd Qtr

4th Qtr

Whole

Department store cum supermarket Department store Supermarket and hypermarket Mini-market, convenience store & cooperative Fashion and fashion accessories Children and baby products* Pharmacy and personal care Furniture & furnishing, home improvement as well as electrical & electronics Other specialty retail stores Food & beverage outlets (cafe and restaurant) Food & beverage outlets (kiosk and stall)

-8.5 -17.5 -3.0 NA -30.5 NA -3.9

-34.6 -62.3 -9.9 NA -44.2 NA -26.2

-6.2 - -17.7 -15.1 NA -12.5 NA 11.1

26.8 -44.7 -19.6 +10.2 -49.6 28.2 -11.7

-18.7 -38.3 -12.0 +14.8 -37.9 -20.2 -11.8

NA -17.9 NA NA

NA -40.9 NA NA

NA 1.5 NA NA

+11.7 -5.2 -18.8 -14.9

+0.4 -11.7 -12.8 -18.3

* children and baby products include apparel, accessories, equipment, school uniform and toys NA: Not Available Source: MRA/MRCA/Retail Group Malaysia

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SOBA 2020: Honouring the Best in Malaysian Businesses 10 MRCA members were among more than 80 winners at The Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2020. Senheng Electric (KL) Sdn Bhd clinched 10 awards including the most prestigious award, Malaysian Business of the Year for the above RM25 million annual turnover tier. ore than 700 guests from various companies and organisations attended the 11th edition of 2020 Gala Night at One World Hotel in Petaling Jaya.

Taking home the most prestigious award, Malaysian Business of the Year was MRCA member Senheng Electric (KL) Sdn Bhd for the above RM25 million annual turnover tier. Klinik Dr Chong Sdn Bhd took the coveted award for the up to RM25 million annual turnover tier.

Senheng Electric also topped

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the list with a total of 10 awards, including platinum for Best in Marketing, Best Brand, Best Employer, Best Innovation, Best Use of Technology and Best in Retail, Best in Customer Service, as well as Silver for Best Green Initiative. The company’s Group Chairman Lim Kim Heng also won the Par Excellence Achievement under the Male Entrepreneur of the Year category (above RM25 million annual turnover).

In the 2018 edition of the awards, Senheng Electric had won seven awards for companies

with an annual turnover of above RM25million, including the Malaysian Business of the Year.

Other MRCA winners in the above RM25 million annual turnover category were Apple Vacations Sdn Bhd, Silver for Best in Marketing; redONE Network Sdn Bhd, Silver for Best Brand; Empire Sushi Group Sdn Bhd won a Silver each for Best Employer, Best Innovation and Best in Retail; Fire Fighter Industry Sdn Bhd, Silver for Best Use of Technology and TFP Retail Sdn Bhd, Gold for Best in Retail, Nicole Lim Xui Jhi, Chief

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MRCA MEMBERS WHO WERE WINNERS OF SOBA 2020

• Senheng Electric (KL) Sdn Bhd • Apple Vacations Sdn Bhd • redONE Network Sdn Bhd • TFP Retail Sdn Bhd • Empire Sushi Group Sdn Bhd • Fire Fighter Industry Sdn Bhd • Big Onion Food Caterer Sdn Bhd • Wellous Sdn Bhd • WYNKIDS Education Group • Ezzybucks Sdn Bhd Executive Officer of Empire Sushi Group Sdn Bhd won the Outstanding Achievement under the Female Entrepreneur of the Year category while Michelle Hah Mei Kian, Executive Director, Fire Fighter Industry Sdn Bhd, won the Meritorious Achievement.

In the up to RM25 million annual turnover category, Big Onion Food Caterers Sdn Bhd clinched the Gold for Best Marketing and Meritorious Achievement for Best Brand; Wellous Sdn Bhd won Meritorious Achievement for Best Brand; WYNKIDS Education Group won the Gold for Best Employer and Silver for Best in CSR while Ezzybucks Sdn Bhd took the Silver for Best in Retail.

Guest-of-honour, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin bin Ali, Senior Minister, Ministry of International Trade & Industry graced the event and presented the awards to the winners.

To ease participation, SOBA 2020 introduced an online submission feature. It also introduced two new

categories – Best in Retail’ and ‘Best in Customer Service’ – to its lineup to reflect the diversity of SMEs in Malaysia. The new awards were introduced to recognise and honour the best local retailer and local enterprise which excel in providing exemplary service and/or shopping experience to their customers.

The awards were reviewed by several groups of judges concurrently except for Malaysian Business of the Year which was reviewed by the final panel of judges.

The judging of applications took place via an online platform by a panel of judges comprising professionals and key leaders from various business associations and organisations, and chambers of commerce.

The panel was made up of representatives from the Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA), Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), Malaysian Advertisers Association (MAA),

Persatuan Usahawan Maju Malaysia (PUMM), Branding Association of Malaysia (BAM), ASEAN Retail-Chains & Franchise Federation (ARFF), Malaysian Digital Association (MDA), PIKOM, SME Association of Malaysia, Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM), Media Specialists Association (MSA), Bursa Malaysia Berhad, Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (MAICCI) and Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Malaysia Kuala Lumpur (DPMMKL).

The event was organised by Star Media Group Berhad with DiGi, PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd and RHB Bank Berhad as main sponsors, Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Berhad as Co-Sponsor and MATRADE as Official Trade Promotion Partner. It was endorsed by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, supported by Bursa Malaysia and audited by BDO with dimsum, 988 and Suria as Official Media Partners.

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Key to Unlocking the ASEAN Store of the Future

By George Pepes, APAC Vertical Solutions Lead, Healthcare and Retail, Zebra Technologies

020 has proven to be a challenging year.

Retailers around the world, especially in the ASEAN region, are bearing the brunt of the pandemic, with retail businesses having to cope with unprecedented demand, digitalisation, supply chain challenges and even customer behavior changes, defining a “new normal” for many1.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation journey for many businesses, with retailers in Southeast Asia prioritising digitalisation to achieve growth in a post-COVID-19 era2. To ensure business continuity in such times, reports have shown that businesses have quickly embraced digital technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and cloud adoption3.

Along with this, the uptrend in online shopping is set to continue4, having already begun prepandemic due to the convenience it presents, with essential goods, groceries, and food delivery, and even non-essential items such as computers and telecommunications equipment all readily available and accessible. Amidst the pandemic, unprecedented demand for essential goods has created substantial worldwide shortages.

However, the traditional retail model is far from dead. E-commerce has not made brick-and-mortar stores obsolete, contrary to what

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headlines would suggest. The 2021 Zebra Shopper Study found that shoppers have connected the lines between in-store and online activities and that there has been an increase in online activities year-on-year. It was reported that 57% of shoppers placed an order online for delivery to be made. Up to 45% of shoppers looked up store information online, while 29% ran an online check on the inventory of the product before even visiting the store.

Retailers have not been forced to abandon the operating principles that have sustained storefronts for many decades either. The convenience of online shopping has compelled retailers to set and strive for new customer experience, operating efficiency and inventory efficiency standards to appease 21st century shoppers who, as a result of the internet, expect instant

gratification – whether in the form of information, products or services.

With an abundance of information and choice present, retaining customer loyalty is becoming more difficult. Not all purchase decisions are persuaded by low prices. Convenience – or the lack of it – can greatly influence shoppers’ transactions. The same Zebra Shopper Study found that there are three leading reasons for shoppers leaving a store without making a purchase. 41% cited that they had done so because their desired item was out of stock, while 32% cited the length of the checkout queue as a reason. Another 31% cited that they left because they couldn’t find the item on display.

If retailers in ASEAN want to win and retain shoppers’ loyalty today, they must modernise their stores and supply chains. According to the same Zebra Shopper Study, 85% of retail associates said that technology helps them provide a safe, comfortable and convenient

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experience for customers. Retail associates also cited that checking price (56%) and inventory (52%) are the most important and valuable uses of technology. Clearly, there is no substitute for personal service.

However, it’s quite apparent that personal service can be optimised by technology. It’s the key that keeps customers coming back again.

However, retailers in this region might find it difficult to determine which technologies truly give them the ability to sense what is happening in their operations or in the market and analyze the reasons.

Without the right technologies in place, it is nearly impossible to know how to “act” in real time to resolve issues that could negatively impact a shopper’s in-store experience, such as a misplaced item that could look like it is out of stock.

Retailers and technology solution providers all over the world, including Zebra, are participating in concept stores or conducting in-store pilots.

These programmes aim to test new technologies such as radio-frequency identification (RFID) locationing systems, automation solutions and mobility platforms to learn which ones improve the in-store shopping experience for customers prior to implementing at scale.

Such pilot programmes could potentially answer questions like whether track-and-trace systems will improve real-time inventory management and, specifically, replenishment actions. How effective could that same system be in helping a retailer understand which items have been tried and purchased versus those that have been left in a dressing room or put back on the shelf?

Some brands may just want to know if the investments they are making in new mobile computers at the point of sale and workflow software in stockrooms are enough to gain the intelligence they need to better serve customers. They may also require insight into the need to integrate additional layers of “intelligent” technologies, such as an IoT platform or a prescriptive analytics solution, to make those devices — and the workers using them — as smart as they need to be in today’s retail environment.

ASEAN retailers must move from “systems of record” to “systems of reality” if they want to sustain the success of their physical stores in a digitally empowered economy.

Only those with a certain level of operational intelligence and agile execution can adapt to changing

market dynamics in real time and meet customer expectations every time they walk in the store.

Technology remains the root to retail success. In fact, Zebra’s 2019 Intelligent Enterprise Index showed that 61% of enterprises worldwide are on the path to becoming “intelligent”.

Though many are on their way, the pandemic has quickened the pace in which retailers need to evolve their operations. This comes in the form of evolving both their online and their brick-and-mortar stores.

As such, before revamping store operations and redefining the role of the store, retailers in ASEAN must conduct a proper assessment and evaluation of their businesses’ operational gaps and technological needs. There is no one-size-fitsall approach. Every retailer in this region has a unique and different set of problems, and it is essential to engage with solution providers that are able to take the time to assess and address all pain points across the retailer’s entire operations, from the store-front, to the back-end and even its supply chain before recommending, implementing, refining or scaling any technology solution.

For more information, please visit Zebra’s retail solutions.

1 World Economic Forum, 10 June 2020 2 EY, 12 June 2020 3 Mckinsey, 22 April 2020 4 Mckinsey, 4 August 2020

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JONETZ by DON DON DONKI Opens in KL Pan Pacific Retail Management (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the overseas subsidiary of Pan Pacific International Holdings Corporation, recently opened its first store known as “JONETZ by DON DON DONKI” at Lot 10 Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. The store was officially

Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi, Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (centre) with Datuk Seri Hj. Hasnol Zam Zam bin Haji Ahmad, Secretary General, Ministry of Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs and Satoshi Machida, President, Pan Pacific Retail Management (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd at the store.

Quill Group Partners with CCBM on Digital Inclusion Quill Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China Construction Bank (M) Bhd and China Construction Bank Corp Labuan Branch on the development and joint marketing of financial products and services through digital channels.

Quill group would leverage its financial technology platform to introduce digital innovation in the delivery of financial services to customers of CCB and the general public, Quill said in a statement Quill group managing director Datuk Dr Jennifer Low said the company believes in its vision to adopt financial digitalisation into its portfolio of businesses for greater opportunities in the future.

“Having successfully pioneered and championed the development of the digital economy in China, CCB is keen to emulate this success in Malaysia,” she said.

CCBM chief executive officer and CCBL principal officer Felix Feng Qi said Quill’s efforts to diversify into FinTech, is closely aligned with one of CCB’s three main development strategies.

opened by by Dato’ Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs.

DON DON DONKI is expanding its business to Asia Pacific countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan, with the introduction of a Japanese specialty store concept, selling Japan-made and/or made for Japan merchandises at affordable prices.

Satoshi Machida, President, Pan Pacific Retail Management (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., commented, “Malaysia has a growing retail industry and offers the opportunity to build our brand.” The store, which occupies 23,476 square metres across three floors, promises a fun convenient and safe shopping experience for all shoppers. The store houses a wide range of Japanese products such as snacks, groceries, cosmetics, beauty, food, and household items, among others.

“We will also have some Muslim-friendly products and non-pork and non-alcohol products, to enable our customers to enjoy shopping with peace of mind. Our meat section will specialise in beef, including a variety of Wagyu beef and Japanese BBQ meat platter, which are obtained from a Halal-certified factory,” he stated.

Additionally, popular seasonal fruits will be made available and there will be a special “RM5 Ringgit Section” that offers daily consumables & general goods.

“We are in the forefront of the digital inclusion and are committed to making this partnership a success,” he added.

CCBM, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Construction Bank Corp (CCBC), has a full-fledged banking licence, specialising in global credit facility, global cash management, global RMB solutions, trade finance, FinTech, and infrastructure financing, among others. CCBL has a full-fledged commercial Labuan banking license granted by the Labuan FSA.

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Updates / News

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AmBank & Sabah Development Bank offer RM100 million Financing to Sabah SMEs AmBank has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sabah Development Bank Berhad (SDB) to offer RM100 million worth of financing as part of the Sabah SME Guarantee Scheme. The scheme looks to aid SMEs in Sabah who are adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The MoU was signed by Dato’ Sulaiman Mohd Tahir, Group Chief Executive Officer, AmBank Group and Datuk Vincent Pung, Chief Executive Officer, SDB. Dato’ Sulaiman Mohd Tahir said, “Through this joint initiative, we are offering financing which we hope will help Sabah SMEs weather the financial impact of the pandemic.”

Datuk Vincent Pung thanked AmBank for taking the initiative to develop this scheme, and “hope that this will be a launching pad for future collaborations”.

The Sabah SME Guarantee Scheme is a financing facility, designed with the primary objective of providing working capital, exclusively for SMEs in Sabah. The facility will be made available in the first quarter of 2021 on a first come, first served basis.

10, 000 Boxes of MDA-approved Medical Facemasks for the Underprivileged Facemasks worth RM350,000, were donated to help the underprivileged, B40 communities, PPR residents and frontliners, among others, to help flatten the curve.

This initiative by Maystar Beauty Sdn Bhd and Anggun Kirana Sdn Bhd was launched in the spirit of the Chinese New Year celebration, keeping frontliners and the B40 in mind, to lessen the burden of struggling communities in unprecedented times.

Maystar Beauty Sdn Bhd’s Managing Director and Neutrovis brand owner, Zayn Puah and Anggun Kirana Sdn Bhd’s Managing Director and Himaya’s brand owner, Dato’ KK Chua together with Neutrovis’ brand

Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

ambassador, Izzue Islam, presented the masks to the Minister of Housing and Local Government, Datuk Dr. Hajah Zuraida Binti Kamaruddin recently.

Datuk Dr. Hajah Zuraida expressed her gratitude and reiterated on how the MDA-approved masks would further help in effectively curbing the spread of the virus.

Neutrovis brand owner, Zayn Puah said the reason behind their CSR effort was to lessen the burden of the people as well as the frontliners in this unprecedented time. Himaya’s brand owner, Dato’ KK Chua, added, “In the spirit of Chinese New Year, we’d like to convey a positive message and share our prosperity with those in need; we shall sail through this pandemic together.”

Izzue Islam has been using his voice and platform to raise awareness regarding the importance of staying safe and healthy to collectively fight to flatten the curve.

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McM Cares Raises RM55,000 for Sabah Flood Victims The aid, raised through McMillan Woods Global’s corporate social responsibility programme McM Cares, was a response to the king tide phenomenon that destroyed many houses on Sabah’s west coast in January.

More than 700 people from 203 families in 223 villages were forced to flee their homes and seek temporary shelter at various relief centres. Areas affected included Penampang, northern Kudat, Pitas, Tuaran and Kota Belud while landslides occurred along roads in Kota Kinabalu, Pitas and Kudat.

Following pleas from villagers for financial aid, a discussion with former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Datuk Junz Wong concluded that an estimated RM50,000 was required to rebuild the houses.

“Under our McM Cares programme, we believe in a joint effort by both the villagers and the financial aid raised,” McMillan Woods Global and McM Cares founder Datuk Seri Raymond Liew said.

“Purchases of relevant building materials such as wood, nails and related supplies are directly from the suppliers to avoid incurring third party costs and to remain accountable to our generous contributors”.

He said that all contributions were made direct to Kilang Papan Hiong Tiong Sdn Bhd, Sabah, and thanked contributors for their generous donations, and added that the surplus collected would be used to buy more building materials or food to feed the homeless.

The recent floods in Sabah forced 700 people from more than 200 villages to seek shelter at relief centres. – Picture courtesy of McMillan Woods Global.

MCIS Life Inks Partnership with Merchantrade Asia to Help Migrant Workforce Get Covered from RM1 Monthly MCIS Insurance, a pioneer life insurer in Malaysia, has teamed up with Merchantrade Asia Sdn Bhd, Malaysia’s largest money services business, to offer a life insurance protection plan to Malaysians and foreigners alike, specifically benefiting the underserved communities in Malaysia.

MCIS Life CEO and Managing Director said the new life insurance plan is designed to be affordable, from as low as RM1 per month for a basic sum insured at of RM4,000 and features a hassle-free claims process and easy accessibility by leveraging on Merchantrade Asia’s wide network.

The insurance plan is underwritten by MCIS Life, and distributed by Merchantrade Asia under its “Merchantrade Insure Life” plan.

Merchantrade Asia’s Managing Director, Ramasamy K Veeran, said, “We hope to make insurance and financial protection more affordable and easily accessible to the underserved population in Malaysia.”

Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

Updates / News

32

12 Brands that Will Get “Invited” to a CNY Open House A study conducted by Asia School of Business and Vase.ai, a market research uncovered that 12 from a list of 29 brands would be invited to a CNY Open House and topping the list were McDonalds, KFC and Shopee, winning more than 50% popularity vote.

The nine brands that followed in getting invitations from 30% or more from the people were Foodpanda, Lazada, Grab, Maybank, Watson, Tesco, Eu Yan Sang, Nescafe, and Yakult.

“With consumers spending more time online but with limited attention spans, brands that focus on capturing the ‘mind space’ of the consumer will be the ones that grow faster,” said Julie Ng, Researcher & Co-founder of Vase.ai.

Vase. ai conducted the study among 462 ethnic-Chinese Malaysians and presented a choice of 29 brands that heavily advertised in February in conjunction with CNY.

Hyundai to Close Its Asia Pacific HQ in Malaysia

Vesbo Malaysia Crowned The Best Asian Breakfast Brand by LUXLife London

The Asia Pacific regional headquarters of Hyundai Motor Company located at Mutiara Damansara, Selangor, will close and relocate its operations to Indonesia.

According to a report by wapcar. my recently the move will be done in stages until the end of the year.

The regional head office which also houses the Hyundai Training Academy (HTA),was opened in 2015.

The Academy provides enhanced training for all Asia Pacific Hyundai distributors trainers in 33 countries in the region.

The report added that it was Hyundai’s second training academy that was fully equipped with the carmaker’s newest dealership space identity standards.

Most of its Malaysian staff have been laid off and the few that remain will leave their position when handover to the Indonesian team is complete, according to the report. Last November, Hyundai signed a preliminary deal to build a new factory in Indonesia with an investment of US$1.55 billion until 2030.

Malaysian-made Vesbo Instant Bird Nest Porridge was recently selected as the winner of the Best Healthy Breakfast Food Brand in Asia by LuxLife magazine (London). This product, specially formulated with swiftlet nests, contains high protein and collagen levels and is guaranteed to be halal.

Terry Swee, CEO of Vesbo, a local health food serving of Vesbo has benefits equivalent to a cup of fresh milk or a bottle of collagen. It can be taken to maintain a healthy complexion and boost the body’s immune system, he said.

“It is made with ingredients including bird’s nest, rice, oats, seaweed, white pepper and onions,” said Terry.

It has been marketed in Malaysia since 2016 and is also exported to South Korea, Singapore and China, and sold onboard Scoot Airlines since 2019.

Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

Vesbo CEO Terry Swee (right) and Vesbo Instant Bird Nest Porridge (above).

33

Tune Protect Strengthens Pact with BaoViet Insurance Corporation in BambooCARE Tune Protect Group Bhd has strengthened its reinsurance and technology partnership with BaoViet Insurance Corp, the largest general insurance company in Vietnam, through the offering of BambooCARE Travel Insurance (BambooCARE) for customers flying with Bamboo Airways on its flight booking portal.

BaoViet Insurance is the oldest insurance company in Vietnam and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Baoviet Holdings.

Customers flying with Bamboo Airways will enjoy a convenient and seamless experience of acquiring both flight tickets and insurance protection underwritten by BaoViet Insurance and powered by Tune Protect, on one booking platform.

Rohit Nambiar, Group Chief Executive Officer of Tune Protect, said, “We offer our reinsurance expertise and travel technology capabilities for BaoViet Insurance to deliver worry-free, integrated travel experience to customers flying with Bamboo Airways.”

TIME Records Sustained Growth for FY2020 TIME dotCom Berhad recorded a consolidated Group revenue of RM1,223.2 million for the financial year ended 31 December 2020.This represents a 9.8% increase over the same period of the preceding year with Retail and Wholesale customer groups leading the contributions to revenue growth. The Group’s Data and Data Centre product groups recorded higher sales resulting in year-on-year revenue growth of 10.7% and 8.6%, respectively.

The Group’s consolidated profit before tax grew to RM423.1 million for the period under review, a RM95.0 million increase over the RM328.1 million recorded for the same period in FY2019.

“The Group has stayed resilient in 2020, owing to the solid fundamentals and long-term strategies we have in place. We will continue to monitor external factors and developments impacting the business and are ready to adapt to any challenges that 2021 may bring,” said Afzal Abdul Rahim, TIME’s Commander-in-Chief.

TIME, a telecommunications provider that delivers domestic and global connectivity, data centre, cloud computing and managed services to customers across ASEAN, looks forward to the upcoming launch of its wholly owned data centre facility in Cyberjaya that is expected to contribute to future medium-term revenue growth.

Goobat.care Becomes First Malaysian Pharmacy to Accept Bitcoin Pharmatech firm Goobat Sdn Bhd, has become Malaysia’s first online pharmacy to accept Bitcoin on its local e-commerce store Goobat.care.

Asher Looi, Co-founder of Goobat said that cryptocurrencies are the future of finance. He explained that the push factor in establishing the online store stemmed from the realisation that many pharmacies in suburban areas did not carry a full range of products. Further, due to the lack of economy of scale, these outlets would tend to retail products at steeper prices.

Bitcoin transactions on Goobat.Care webstore will go through the Bitpay gateway – United States-based crypto clearing gateway which is the world’s largest provider of blockchain payment services.

Once a transaction is completed on Goobat.Care, Klang Valley customers can choose to receive their products by Goobat.Care’s 3-Hour Express Delivery, or opt for the Standard Delivery option.

The latter is available to customers nationwide.

Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

MRCA News

34 A MRC

Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 1

MRCA NEWS THAT APPEARED IN THE MEDIA RECENTLY

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NEW PRODUCTS

Wine & Dine with a 3600 view of KL skyline

Sparkling Evening of Splendour & Glamour

MRCA Installation Dinner

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MRCA 26th Anniversary Dinner

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Catalyst for Retail & Franchise Industries

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MRCA Annual Charity Run 2018

MIRF 2018

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Largest gathering of Malaysia’s Look East 2.0 Policy members usher Chinese

Promise of Greater Growth

“MY DREAM IS TO MAKE EVERYBODY BECOME THEIR OWN BOSS” Dr Tei Fu Chen, Founder and Chairman of Sunrider International

CONSTRUCTING HER OWN LEGACY

Vol 7 No 2 2019

BOTH EYES ON ETHICS

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Pioneer Ophthalmologists Dr Chuah Kay Leong and Dr Stephen Chung Soon Hee with Sandy Tan Sing Yee, CEO of Optimax Eye Specialist

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Vol 7 No 3 2019

MIRF Exhibition 2019

MRCA’s Annual Chinese New Year Dinner

“WE ARE NOT IN THE TYRE BUSINESS BUT PEOPLE BUSINESS.”

Bank Negara Projects 4.8% GDP Growth for 2019

MRCA unveils Retail Sales Survey for 3rd Quarter 2018

SMEs Forge Ahead in New Era of Retail

MPIRE GROWS IN STATURE & SIZE

Ganesh Kumar Bangah, Founder of Commerce.Asia

Commerce.Asia Makes it Easy for Sellers to go Online

Platform Platform to to Generate Generate New New Businesses Businesses

MRCA Retail Conference 2019:

Hatchery Zone at MIRF 2019

Clement Lim, Joint Managing Director CKL Group of Companies

Employers Hiring Talent with Digital Skills

Valerie Ong, Group CEO of KIP Group of Companies shares her vision and strategy for the company’s mall division

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Vol 7 No 2 2019

Vol 7 No 1 2019

SHINING BEACON ON THE HILL

Dato’ Dato’ Low Low Boon Boon An, An, Founder Founder of of Ancubic Ancubic Group Group of of Companies Companies and and Managing Managing Director Director of of Concepts Concepts Group Group of of Companies Companies

Dato’ Winnie Lim, Founder, Solution Risk Group of Companies; Zakri Mohd Khir, CEO, Allianz Malaysia Berhad & Horst Habbig, Chief Sales Officer, Allianz General Insurance Company (Malaysia) Berhad

Vol 7 No 1 2019

Sunsuria Bhd Founder and Executive Chairman Tan Sri Ter Leong Yap shares his views on the retail industry and integrated development Sunsuria Forum in Setia Alam

Francis Seaw, founder of security solutions provider Xtend Services Sdn Bhd, shares his take on the industry and how it can better serve retailers

Annie Low, Founder & Managing Director of BaliAyu Spa Group Sdn Bhd

SMART PROTECTION FOR RETAIL BUSINESS Flexible and cost effective insurance tailor made for retail chain owners in Malaysia

Largest gathering of members usher Chinese New Year in style

MIRF 2018 Brings Retail Digitalisation To Forefront

From Springs Apple Vacations’ Success

MRCA MRCA Delegation Delegation Visits Visits Johor Johor

The Perfect Middle Man

Alvin Lee, Managing Director of UMR Solutions Sdn Bhd

Dato Sri Koh Yock Heng, Group MD of APPLE

Dato’ Billy Goh, Group Managing Director of MPIRE AUTO Sdn Bhd, Group Holding Company

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BRINGING WORLD-CLASS, ECO FRIENDLY STANDARDS TO LOCAL PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT

BUY

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Dato’ Goh Cheh Yak, Founder and Group Managing Director of

TURNING PASSION INTO BUSINESS

Commerce.Asia Enterprise to Boost OmniChannel Commerce

XTEND-ING SECURITY BEYOND HARDWARE

MRCA President Returns for Another Term

MRCA’s Shining Start to 2018

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Vol 6 No 4 2018

Vol 6 No 4 2018

A suite of digital solutions to help grow your retail business.

Cloud POS

MRCA’s Strong Foothold in Johor

SITTING AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE

m-Commerce to Lead Growth in 2018

Vol 6 No 3 2018

Vol 6 No 2 2018

3 Flagship Programmes for Retail and F&B Productivity

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How Consumer Trends Affect the Industry

Opportunities in Cambodia & Vietnam

Bigger Expectations at MIRF 2018

Turning 25 with Pomp & Grandeur

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Vol 6 No 3 2018

mPOS

FUTURE IN FAST FOOD

Dato’ Seri Ivan Teh, Founder and CEO of Fusionex

Eversendai’s Tan Sri AK Nathan Stars in CEO Night

MRCA Charity Annual Run 2017

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Tan Sri Dr. Lim Wee Chai, Chairman and Founder of Top Glove Group of Companies

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“No substitute for hard work”

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Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Leong Hoy Kum, Group Managing Director, Mah Sing Group Berhad

MASTER OF DATA

ON TOP OF THE WORLD

Dato’ Garry Chua, New President of MRCA Shares His Aspirations For The Association

Sunway Malls Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Vol 6 No 2 2018

Budget 2018: What’s In It For SMEs?

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Improving ties with the media industry

BUILDING MORE THAN HOUSING

“We Build A Lifestyle”

Learn From The Best at The MRCA Retail Conference 2017

Establishing a Southern Chapter & Realising Expansion Plans

FLYING IN A V-SHAPE FORMATION

MRCA Celebrates Silver Jubilee with Elegance & Glamour

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STRENGTHENING RELATIONSHIPS

A Runaway Success

Vol 6 No 1 2018

Vol 6 No 1 2018

Exciting Week at MIRF 2017

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ADVANCING DOWN SOUTH

MIRF 2016

Challenges of Globalisation & Technology and Impact On Businesses

Vol 5 No 4 2017

Vol 5 No 3 2017

Vol 4 No 2 2016

RETAIL CONFERENCE

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Vol 4 No 1 2016

Vol 8 No 2 2020

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Moving Towards New Retail with Cloud

Visit Malaysia 2020 to Stir Excitement in Retail Industry

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MIRF, A Runaway Success

Lazada Malaysia Scores Big with Wecommerce 2019 WM RM9 / EM RM11

Exploring Business Opportunities in Shanghai

MRCA’s 27th Anniversary Starry Night Dinner Running For A Worthy Cause

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

MRCA MCO Action Bureau to Help Members Affected by MCO

Vol 8 No 4 2020

Senheng Leads Digitalisation in Consumer Electronics Industry in Malaysia Lim Lim Kim Kim Heng, Heng, Managing Managing Director Director of of Senheng Senheng

Vol 8 No 4 2020

From Business to Politics to Business – A Kaleidoscope of Perspectives

MRCA Elects its First Woman President

Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani Chairman, KUB Malaysia Bhd & C.I. Holdings Bhd

MRCA CEO Get-together

Nicole Lim, Chief Executive Officer, Empire Sushi Group Sdn Bhd

Daphne Teh, Founder and CEO of MuzArt International

Malaysia Needs Covid-19 Act to Protect Businesses & Jobs

Impact of Budget 2021

Datuk Seri Garry Chua: A Retrospective The right voice of reason never goes out of season as exemplified by the leadership of the MRCA President

MALAYSIA RETAILER magazine is MRCA’s official publication that provides news, relevant information and market reports on the evolving retail, franchise and branding landscape in the country and the region.

The quarterly publication highlights: • events • market information • changing consumer behaviour with a focus on retail-industry specific surveys, studies and reports to help those in the industry to assess their impact and to stay informed • success stories of business people – their achievements, innovation, vision, hard work and dedication – that can inspire up-and-coming entrepreneurs • Digitalization • Special reports on the retail industry such as Fashion & Lifestyle, F&B, Pharmacy & Healthcare equipment and supplements, Shopping Malls, Hypermarkets and Supermarkets; and general information related to the three disciplines.

Apart from the print copy, the entire issue of MALAYSIA RETAILER magazine is available online, including at MRCA website (www.mrca.org.my). A link is available for anyone who wishes to read the magazine, free of charge. A PDF of the magazine will be given to advertisers who wish to promote their write-up and advertisement through email, WhatsApp and other social media.

Exemplary Leadership & Creating A Legacy Dato’ Dr Manjit Singh Sachdev, Founder of Messrs Manjit Singh Sachdev, Mohammad Radzi & Partners

MRCA Women’s Division Hosts Inaugural CEO Sharing Session

A Passion For Home Fragrance

Striking a Balance in the Midst of COVID-19

Dato’ Julie CC Lim Sole Director Jubilant Prestige Sdn Bhd Country Sole Distributor Maison Berger Paris

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Arnoud Bakker, Head of Leasing, IKEA Southeast Asia & Andrew Yeoh, Head of Marketing for IKEA Southeast Asia’s shopping centres

MRCA Southern Business Talk: Growth & Innovation

Enjoying The Taste of Success

Rise of e-commerce in Malaysia during Covid 19

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MYWORLD Flies High with Fintech

Vol 8 No 3 2020

Dazzling CNY Celebration

Sushi Empress,

MuzArt – Crafting the Future of Young Leaders

IKEA Reinvents Retail with Toppen

Vol 8 No 2 2020

Vol 8 No 1 2020

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Vol 8 No 1 2020

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Vol 7 No 4 2019

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Vol 7 No 4 2019

TARGET MARKET Business community interested in the retail, franchising and branding industry.

DISTRIBUTION • More than 500 Members Companies & Associates in Malaysian and abroad.

• Top Management of companies.

• Relevant Government Ministries & Agencies, including the Malaysian Overseas Trade Office.

• Relevant Business Organisations & Major Shopping Malls.

• MRCA Events.

• Sold in all leading bookstores nationwide.

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