MRCA MarketNews Info
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MRCA Members Meetings February 2022 MRCA welcomed its members to the first Members’ Meeting for 2022, conducted via online mode on 28 February 2022. PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS In her welcome address, Shirley shared that as retailers and companies supporting the retail and franchise industry, all MRCA members saw a glimpse of hope when the government announced the opening of most of the economic sectors. “It gave us the opportunity to very quickly work on our businesses, and to recoup what we had lost during the various phases of MCOs,” she said. She reflected on the yearend festivities in 2021 that had certainly brought about better business performance for most of the business community, but unfortunately the increasing number of impacted cases has deterred businessowners from progressing at the desired speed. Despite the pandemic situation seeming to be a ‘never-ending’ story, Shirley highlighted that there are many businessowners who were able to rise above the circumstances, make adjustments, adapt and venture into new businesses. She expressed her heartiest congratulations to such entrepreneurs. “The COVID-19 pandemic gave us a lot of time to re-evaluate everything that we ought to know about our businesses and ourselves,” she stressed, pointing out that the pandemic had really caused havoc for individuals,
companies and the world alike. She continued that the sordid stories of the impact of the pandemic had indeed created a negative cloud, notwithstanding the circumstances, she encouraged the members to find the silver lining in the challenges faced, and continue to adapt and move forward like victors instead of victims. “To sustain and continue to survive, I think we ought to protect ourselves from things that can harm our mental health. To drown out the negativity, we have to keep ourselves occupied and busy so that we can remain positive,” she advised. She pointed out that stimulating the mind and thoughts with positivity and wise words can help counter negativity. Shirley added that in addition to adapting to new business models, making changes to operations, learning new skills, embarking on ventures and goals are good measures; however, she urged to constantly remain realistic and have an optimistic outlook in order to thrive during this difficult period. “As council members, we will continue to do our part to help our members,” she said. MRCA has been able to carry out 37 activities since the last Members’ Meeting in December 2021. On her part, Shirley is involved in delivering strategic
projects and activities with the help of the council and secretariat. “Our primary aim is to continue to touch base and get connected with government bodies, other industry associations, business chambers, media companies and members,” she stresses, adding that these are important steps in acting as a voice for the retail industry. Shirley called out to members to reach out to offer more ideas and to highlight areas for improvement. She added that in the coming months MRCA will try to carry out more physical activities, which include the CEO Get-Together, the association’s 30th anniversary celebrations and the annual general meeting, among others. Several webinars have also been planned for the next quarter on topics such as grants, incentives, dialogues with government bodies, franchise and licensing, and 5G technology. With her term as President coming to an end this April, Shirley said she is set to pass the baton to her successor. In her concluding remarks, Shirley conveyed her best wishes to all members.
GENERAL-SECRETARY’S REPORT Stan Singh, Secretary General of MRCA, highlighted the activities carried out by MRCA since December 2021.
Malaysia Retailer Vol 9 No 4
