President’s Message
Shirley Tay President, 2020-2022 Malaysia Retail Chain Association Dear Members, Time passes in the blink of an eye. It goes to show that ‘time and tide waits for no man’. Amidst the many waves of the pandemic and the ups and downs we have faced, we have to now take stock of the prospects and opportunities that this year holds for us. So much has happened in the last two years, and we have seen retailers braving the COVID-19 pandemic to keep their businesses afloat. Despite this challenging landscape, we have seen many victories and achievements as well. Since I took office as the President, my council members and I have been focusing on the six key objectives that we aimed to achieve in our term which are networking and liaison; to elevate and uplift women entrepreneurs; to build alliances for members who are in the F&B industry; to educate, share and enhance retail and business know-how and technology; to assist in recoveries; and, to set up a pertinent information hub and an efficient secretariat. On that note, we have managed to conduct numerous events, activities, conferences, webinars, trainings, dialogues with government and trade organisations. We also carried out many fundraising projects and sports for charity, among others. As you are aware, the community has suffered disasters and calamities, and MRCA has reached out
to the impacted through our relief efforts, as well as donations in cash and kind. I urge our members to continue to give back to society and lend a helping hand to those in need. At the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, MRCA and MRCA Branding Education Charity Foundation raised RM400,000 for the Sungai Buloh Hospital Fund, to provide personal protective equipment (PPE), air purifiers, sanitisers and other medical supplies to frontliners at the hospital. MRCA also joined hands with the Direct Selling Association of Malaysia (DSAM) in pledging support for the white flag movement to help those struggling financially and in desperate need of food and supplies during the pandemic movement restriction period. MRCA and DSAM contributed approximately RM400,000 towards the purchase of essential food items. 2021 also saw the floods and natural disasters rocking communities and business owners. In reaching out to the needy during trying times, we were able to contribute close to RM25,000 in cash and in kind to various individuals and communities to help them navigate these tough times. During these challenging times, we were able to lobby the government in accelerating the restoration and rejuvenation of the retail industry. In addition to that, we actively worked on driving collaborations with the government bodies, trade associations, commerce chambers, other related industries and foreign governments in order to revive the retail engine in the country. In fact, recently, MRCA together with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of KL and Selangor (KLSCCCI), Malaysia Steel & Metal Distributors’ Association (MSMDA) and Building Materials Distributors Association of Malaysia (BMDAM), came together to network and discussed possible collaborations for mutual benefits, among our other extensive efforts. Aside from that, in 2021 we also launched MRCA’s F&B Division, which is aimed at providing our members in the F&B industry with resources, knowledge and know-how to excel and progress in their businesses. Our Women’s Division has also been actively delivering numerous events, talks and webinars to uplift the role of women in business. To-date, we have witnessed many achievements of MRCA’s very own women members. Several also shared their success stories and knowledge unselfishly with us.
