President’s Message Dear Members, 2021 has just concluded and it has been eventful, but not without its challenges. The year has tested our resilience, strength and perseverance in navigating tough times, with many businesses adversely impacted while some have been boosted in unprecedented ways. Despite the several Shirley Tay restrictions faced President, 2020-2022 in 2021, MRCA has Malaysia Retail Chain successfully conducted Association 188 activities, with 47 activities held in Q4. On that note, I am pleased to share with you that we held our first face-to-face members meeting on 13 December 2021. It was very meaningful to finally get to meet and interact with our members personally. To address our members’ health concerns and to curb the further spread of the COVID-19 virus, we conducted self-tests at the registration counter, making our session an enriching “COVID-19-free” meeting. Since the pandemic started, many MRCA members have faced various struggles in keeping their businesses afloat. Recognising that, MRCA has been actively engaging government agencies, trade associations and industry leaders in strategising possible measures to help retailers bounce back. In fact, we engaged Retail Group Malaysia (RGM) to conduct a survey on growth projections. According to RGM, the growth rate estimate for 4Q2021 can be revised upwards from 12.7% to 18.3%. Bearing this outlook in mind, let’s continue to be vigilant, especially with the emergence of the new Omicron variant. We must act responsibly and make every effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. In lobbying the government to act on challenges faced by retailers, MRCA has been participating in many dialogues and discussions with government agencies, other trade associations and the private sector such as the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP), the Ministry of Entrepreneurial Development and Cooperatives, HRDCorp, EPF, banks and Industry Unite.
Our reach also goes beyond Malaysia – we had the opportunity to engage with the Royal Embassy of Cambodia, British-Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Taiwan Trade Development Council to drive business collaborations. We also held various webinars on e-Commerce, funding, Budget 2022, Employment Act, Transfer Pricing and other salient topics to help our retailers navigate trying times. Just to highlight several latest events. The Smart Retailer webinar themed “Embrace to Survive the Digital Storm” discussed smart shops, customer analytics, omnichannel shopping experiences, enterprise-wide inventory visibility, fulfilment agility, and building effective customer loyalty. We also had the privilege of hosting Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, former Minister of International Trade & Industry to share her insights on Malaysia’s future economy. The webinar entitled “How the Government’s 2022 Budget Can Help You Rebuild or Drive Your Business Forward” showcased prominent industry leaders with insights on SME financing, the government’s stimulus packages, efforts to rebuild the SME landscape, problems on the ground, digitalisation, and pivoting businesses – all in relation to Budget 2022. The “Drive More Revenue with e-Commerce Best Practices” webinar explored best practices for e-Commerce entrepreneurs in building their brand’s digital presence. As we continue to reach out to the less fortunate, I am pleased to announce that our charitable activities are bringing relief to impacted communities. Todate, we have brought festive cheer to homes for the underprivileged through cash and kind, such as Trinity Community Children’s Home Society, and Rumah Kebajikan Karunai Illam, among others. I am humbled and thankful by CIMB Foundation’s gesture in contributing RM100,000 towards our Women’s Division charity projects. In January 2022, we are hosting the MRCA Charity Golf event to raise RM50,000 for five selected charitable bodies. So, let’s do our part in reaching out to the needy in our community. My heartiest congratulations to winners of the prestigious KPDNHEP Awards – keep up the good work. As we welcome 2022, let’s thrive, recoup our losses and go beyond to achieve greater milestones. Enjoy our latest publication and let’s meet again in 2022. Thank you for your continued support. Wishing everyone a bountiful and happy new year!
