Malaysia Retailer|Vol 4|No 2|2016|Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai TOP GLOVE

Vol 4 no 2 2016

Advancing Down South

Establishing a Southern Chapter & Realising Expansion Plans

Strengthening relationships

Improving ties with the media industry

On Top of the World “No substitute for hard work”

WM RM9 / EM RM11

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

Future in Fast Food

How Consumer Trends Affect the Industry

Contents / Vol. 4 No. 2

22 COVER STORY

18 Maintaining Success

6 On Top Of The World

Helming the world’s largest rubber gloves manufacturer is a dance all to familiar for Top Glove Corporation Berhad founder and executive chairman Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai. He shares what it takes to stay in control, steering his billion-ringgit company forward amid economic concerns.

FEATURES 12 Future in Fast Food

On the cover

Despite a declining growth trend in the emerging markets and developing economies, the fast food industry remains, largely, a stable industry.

At Highest Levels

22 Sneak Peek Into Sunway Velocity

The Tough Gets Agile

According to Landor’s study on brand performances, strong brands possess the ability to be flexible and relevant.

Changing Minds

Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai, Top Glove Corporation Bhd executive chairman and founder

Malaysia Retailer Vol 4 No 1

Changing minds is an art and not a science.

Changing minds go beyond reasons and logic. It delves into the core of change – the hearts and feelings of people.

The retail chain sector is constantly challenged and evolving, thus, you must ensure your business is protected in every sense of the word.

28 Tips From The Best

16 Art Of Winning Hearts,

Sunway Group’s latest retail development in Cheras is home to renowned international and local retailers.

24 Safeguard Your Business

14 When the Going Gets Tough,

Once again the CEO Night has a rousing reception with Top Glove Corporation Bhd executive chairman and founder Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai sharing his business practices and ethics as well as personal motto.

Subway Malaysia climbs in popularity, thanks to the efforts of Datuk Vincent Choo and his team.

30 South Korea’s Best In One Place

Korean pop culture has a strong foothold in Malaysia, and with this is mind KIODA has crafted a retail experience featuring an interesting mix of brands and products.

EVENTS

36

40

56 Reinforcing Ties With Malaysian Media

58

32 Enhancing Customer Experience

Grabbing customer attention, increasing in-store engagement, proper communication are key factors needed to drive higher sales in retail.

34 Money Handling Made Easy

Operation inefficiencies often revolves around the open cash drawer and for most business owners they represent a significant loss.

42 ZÉLL-V Wellness Hub Unveiled

44 Advancing Down South

36 Bagging Success Outside Malaysia

As a fashion mainstay in Malaysia almost 30 years, BONIA Corporation Berhad is brand worth millions of dollars. In recent years the brand has been stretching its wings beyond Malaysia, in an effort to diversify its business portfolio.

38 Johor, The Place To Be

Malaysia’s southernmost state is undergoing rapid development over the next few years, making it a sought-after destination in the country.

40 Achieving International Standards

Pavilion KL CEO believes that quality and point of difference have ensured the premium mall’s success, enough for the group to open two more in Damansara Heights and Bukit Jalil.

ZÉLL-V Wellness Hub officially opened recently, marking another milestone for Ruyi Holdings Sdn Bhd, a leader in the health and wellness industry.

As part of President Dato’ Garry Chua’s push to expand MRCA’s reach, a delegation spent two intense days visiting various areas that are undergoing massive development in Johor as well as the overseeing of the setting up of a southern chapter for the association.

50 Your Friendly

Neighbourhood Mall

Shopping centre operator thrives on managing properties outside the Klang Valley.

52 Gastronomic Delight

Sanoook unveils its delectable Thai-Japanese menu and new outlet.

54 BearInBag’s Loyalty Partnership

Kaching Network Sdn Bhd has announced its collaboration with I Synergy Holdings Bhd that will enable the 2.2 million members of MyKad Smart Shopper (MSS) to redeem loyalty cash points online on Kaching’s new e-commerce platform – BearInBag.

Bringing Innovative Payment Systems To Local Retailers

59 MRCA Rally for Good Health

60 Tee Off For Good Cause

61 MRCA Brings Raya Cheer To Children’s Home

62 Elegant 24th Celebrations

63 Let’s Run For Charity

64 Council’s Courtesy Call On Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz Monthly Meetings: May-August

DEPARTMENTS 5 President’s Message

66-70 Member Updates

72 MRCA In The News

Malaysia Retailer Vol 4 No 1

4 Event

MRCA RETAILER is published by

A-5-2, 3, 3A, Level 5, Block A, Sky Park One City, Jalan USJ25/1, 47650 Subang Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: 603-5882 4333 Fax: 1 700 810 950 Website: www.mrca.org.my PRESIDENT Dato’ Garry K.S. Chua ROTOL FOOD-CHAIN (M) SDN BHD

BOARD OF ADVISORS YB Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai PRESIDENT OF THE MALAYSIAN CHINESE ASSOCIATION

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

YB Dato Sri Mustapha Mohamad MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE & INDUSTRY MALAYSIA

DEPUTY PRESIDENT Valerie Choo Yoke Shiem SIMPLY AWESOME SDN BHD VICE PRESIDENTS Dato’ Liew Bin BRILLIANT MERCHANDISING SDN BHD Seak Thean Pow BAGUS CURTAIN SDN BHD Shirley Tay Bee Koo SUNRIDER INTERNATIONAL (M) SDN BHD Dato’ Dr. Chai Kee Kan KK SUPERMART & SUPERSTORE SDN BHD SECRETARY GENERAL Jeff Kong Jiang Foong DF PHARMACY SDN BHD DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL Dato’ Bruce Lim Aun Choong JOHOR INTERNATIONAL SKILLS HUB SDN BHD TREASURER GENERAL Dato’ Choi Wei Yee SUNLIGHT TAXI SDN BHD COUNCIL MEMBERS Edison Choon King Han POH KONG HOLDINGS BERHAD Datuk Henry Yip Choong Hung DRAGON-I RESTAURANT SDN BHD Ricky Thye Kok Lam TANGIBLE AIM SDN BHD Brian Tham Jee Ping WATATIME (M) SDN BHD Dr Afendi Dahlan DR GROUP HOLDINGS SDN BHD Dato’ Syed Kamarulzaman Dato’ Syed Zainol Khodki Shahabudin PERBADANAN NASIONAL BERHAD Dato’ William Chow Ah Kau MALAYSIA HEALTHCARE SDN BHD Dato’ Eric Tai Lim Ping NELSON’S FRANCHISE (M) SDN BHD Alex Wong Che Sing HAP SENG STAR SDN BHD

Dato’ Dr. Jennifer Low, JP GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR, QUILL GROUP OF COMPANIES Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai CHAIRMAN, TOP GLOVE CORPORATION BHD Tan Sri Leong Hoy Kum GROUP MD, GROUP CEO, MAH SING GROUP BHD Tan Sri Barry Goh Ming Choon CHAIRMAN OF MCT CONSORTIUM BHD Tan Sri Datuk Tee Hock Seng JP GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR OF BINA PURI HOLDINGS BHD PRESIDENT’S ADVISOR Tan Sri Tang Yeam Soon THE STORE CORPORATION PRESIDENT’S ADVISOR FOR EVENT & PR Tan Sri Datuk Danny Ooi D’TOUCH INTERNATIONAL SDN BHD FOUNDER PRESIDENT Dato’ Eddie Choon POH KONG HOLDINGS BHD PRESIDENT COUNCIL Dato’ Eddie Choon POH KONG HOLDINGS BHD Datuk Albert Chiang BONIA CORPORATION BHD Datuk Lee Hwa Cheng SINMA JEWELLERY CENTRE SDN BHD

HARINI MANAGEMENT SERVICES SDN BHD (609031-W) W-9-12, Menara Melawangi, Amcorp Trade Centre, 18, Persiaran Barat, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: 603-7932 3259 Email: harini.mservices@gmail.com Director N. Premala Consultant V.S. Ganesan Senior Editor Vimala Seneviratne Editor Khaw Chia Hui Creative Designer Goh Wei Lee Advertising Consultant Faridah Ismail PRINTER Percetakan Lagenda SDN BHD (406003-A) No. 4 & 6, Jalan Tembaga SD5/2B , Sri Damansara Industrial Park, 52200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 603-6273 6599 Fax: 603-6273 6606 DISTRIBUTOR MPH DISTRIBUTORS SDN BHD (MALAYSIA) (5048-A) Ground Floor, Bangunan TH, No 5, Jalan Bersatu 13/4, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Tel: 603-7958 1688 Fax: 603-7956 5995 Email: distributors@mph.com.my

H.E. Datuk Sri Nelson Kwok, JP HONORARY CONSUL OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE TO MALAYSIA NELSON’S FRANCHISE (M) SDN BHD LEGAL ADVISORS Ringo Low RINGO LOW & ASSOCIATES Dato’ Manjit Singh MANJIT SINGH SACHDEV, MOHAMMAD RADZI & PARTNERS HONORARY AUDITORS Yeoh Chin Hoe IBDC (M) SDN BHD

Datin Flora Tan Joo Jua TRANSTEL TECHNOLOGY (M) SDN BHD

Dato’ Raymond Liew Lee Leong MCMILLAN WOODS

Ken Phua Cheng Chuen BENTLEY MUSIC SDN BHD Malaysia Retailer Vol 4 No1

HMS

Dato’ Tay Sim Kim OSIM (M) SDN BHD

Dato’ Winnie Lim Yoke Chin JUBILANT PRESTIGE SDN BHD

Adnan Lee Chong Fatt Abdullah MBG FRUITS SDN BHD

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All articles featured in Malaysia Retailer magazine represent the personal views of contributors and are not necessarily those of MRCA & Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd. All writers automatically agree to indemnify MRCA and Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd against any loss, costs, expenses (including legal fees), damages and liabilities that might arise from their own incapacity, negligence, breach of contract or other civil misdeeds. We reserve the right to edit all articles. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2016 by MRCA and Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher.

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President’s Message

President’s Message

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Greetings fellow MRCA members, I’m delighted to report that following a slew of activities in the first half of the year, MRCA has ramped up its efforts to bring high value to its members. We have organised numerous member engagement activities with the aim of widening their knowledge and business insights.

Plato once said, “A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers.” Hence, our activities are geared towards empowering our members with knowledge to make informed and sound decisions about their businesses.

Among those activities was the visit to Johor. It allowed the Klang Valley members to networking and share opinions with others. From this, MRCA has expanded its reach to other states.

In relation to absorbing knowledge and advice, MRCA has successfully organised CEO Night 2016 featuring keynote speaker Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai, Top Glove Corporation Bhd executive chairman and founder. Tan Sri Dr Lim shared life advice, working experience challenges and personal beliefs.

In the magazine, he further shared his business ethics and future direction, in hopes of inspiring young entrepreneurs to emulate his worldwide success.

Another initiative I’m particularly proud of was the Media Engagement event. In a show of appreciation, MRCA held an elegant and fun afternoon with all the media houses and their representatives.

Aside from fostering ties, MRCA felt that such engagements allowed us to address how the retail chain industry can better work with the media industry. We also took the opportunity to reinforce our role and achievements that would further spur us to bring the industry to a higher level.

You can also catch up on some of the event highlights for the past few months, which includes • charity drives • health campaign • charity visits • MoU signing with Mastercard, and more.

I would also like to thank all the advertisers who gave their support in this issue of Malaysia Retailer and I encourage more members to do so.

Lastly I would like to wish our friends and associates of the Hindu faith, Happy Deepavali. May the Festival of Lights guide us towards more exciting times ahead.

Dato’ Garry KS Chua, President, 2016-2018, Malaysia Retail Chain Association

Malaysia Retailer Vol 4 No 2

Cover Story

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On Top Of The World Helming the world’s largest rubber glove manufacturer is a dance all too familiar for Top Glove Corporation Bhd founder and executive chairman Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai. He shares what it takes to stay in control, steering his billion-ringgit company forward amid economic concerns.

By Khaw Chia Hui

he son of rubber plantation owners and traders, Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai saw what he could do with the raw commodity his family produces and trades in. He started Top Glove with his wife Puan Sri Tong Siew Bee in 1991 and took it public in 2001. Now, 25 years later, his sprawling empire controls 25% of the world market for rubber gloves across 195 markets.

This astounding achievement had led him to be listed as the 22nd richest man in the country, on Forbes Magazine's "Malaysia's 50 Richest" countdown.

T

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However, that has not influenced him to be complacent, instead Tan Sri Lim is still looking to the horizon for improvement.

“I’m always asked to share my secrets. There is no secret. It is about skills and hard work. It comes down to being focused, disciplined, committed and willing to work harder, smarter and faster.

“It is also about not allowing yourself to be complacent when you have attained a level of success. Always ask yourself ‘what’s next?’ with the aim of changing for improvement and betterment,” says the man himself.

As for how Top Glove is able to maintain a position very much like its namesake, Tan Sri Lim points to setting the correct business direction at the very start. This includes: Consistently producing high quality gloves at an efficient low cost; Having good leadership and teamwork; A strong focus on R&D and innovation; Recruiting and retaining quality talents who are bright, hardworking and committed; and Running the business according to a good set of guiding principles.

7

Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai escorts D.Y.M.M. Sultan of Selangor on a factory visit, following the grand launch of Top Glove Tower.

25 years and counting Having the staying power for 25 years is no easy feat. Many tried and many failed. Tan Sri Lim says there is no shortcut to success and no substitute for hard work.

“In fact, to work hard is not enough – today, one has to work harder, smarter and faster too. As I often remind my colleagues, becoming number one may be hard, but staying number one is even harder.”

Tan Sri Lim, who turns 58 this year, is a hands-on leader and believes strongly in leading by example. He also has a motto: “Must Know, Must Do, Must Teach”, that advocates for continuous learning and improvement, which he encourages his staff to follow suit.

In keeping with his motto, he was conferred a Doctorate in Business by Oklahoma City University in May this year. The award was given based on numerous recommendations received — Tan Sri Lim was commended by university president and CEO Robert Henry for his accomplishment as a

“In fact, to work hard is not enough – today, one has to work harder, smarter and faster too. As I often remind my colleagues, becoming number one may be hard, but staying number one is even harder.”

visionary leader in the Top Glove Group for the past 25 years.

As reported by the Sun daily, Henry congratulated him for his continuous improvement in personal education and encouraging his employees to obtain further education.

“The recommendations we have received from the Malaysian alumni indicate you are a healthy conscious employer, which is exemplified in your personal motto for success – ‘Work is my hobby, Exercise is my duty and Health is my wealth’,” Henry was quoted as saying.

The doctorate represents a significant milestone for Tan Sri Lim, especially in his quest for continuous learning and improvement.

“I feel honoured to receive a degree from an institution as established as Oklahoma City University, which has a rich history of providing quality education.

“I am also grateful for the kind recommendations from the Malaysian alumni, which was instrumental in

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Cover Story

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Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai poses with Datuk Garry Chua having delivered the keynote speech at the MRCA CEO Night 2016 at Top Glove Tower on 22nd July 2016.

my being awarded this Doctorate in Business and I am also thankful for the support that my family, colleagues and friends have given me all this while, which have helped me attain the level of success I enjoy today,” he says.

Tan Sri Lim has espoused a personal motto “Work is my hobby, Exercise is my duty and Health is my wealth”, which he has iterated many times over in talks he gave throughout his career.

“That motto is a reflection of how much I enjoy my work. I am able to work seven days a week because I like my work, to the extent it no longer feels like work, but a hobby.

“It also underscores my commitment to staying healthy. I intend to live till 100 and work till I am 90. Therefore, I need to ensure my body is fit enough to do so. In order to fit in exercise regularly, even in my busy schedule, I slot in exercise and sports as part of my daily routine. I play badminton and golf twice a week each and take yoga once a week consistently.

“I place a high importance on health. If I am sick, I will not be able to work or contribute positively to my

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company or my family. Instead, I will become a liability.

“These are words I live by and I encourage my colleagues and business associates to adopt this as their personal motto as well.”

Young entrepreneurs looking to emulate Tan Sri Lim’s success don’t have to look far as he willingly shares advice on doing so.

“Have a clear vision of what you want to achieve, set the correct direction and stay focused. They must also be prepared to work smarter and faster.

Discipline is also very important. This is what has made Top Glove the world’s largest rubber glove manufacturer.

“I also advocate investing in R&D. It is essential for businesses to stay relevant and it gives companies the competitive edge to take their success to the next level.

“Hiring quality people is also a key success factor. As their company grows, core teams must be expanded to include more hardworking and honest professionals, who will bring varied experience and expertise.

“Finally, staying fit and healthy, physically and mentally is important, so they can be positive contributors to their organisations, families and country,” he says.

Kicking things up a notch Going forward, Tan Sri Lim intends for Top Glove to increase its global market share from 25% to 30%, by 2020, and become the world’s largest nitrile glove manufacturer.

Top Glove was listed on Bursa Malaysia in 2001, and within a span of just over a year, it was promoted from the Second Board to the Main Board of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) on 16th May 2002. As at 31st May 2016, Top Glove had a shareholder fund of RM1.76 billion and an annual turnover of about RM2.17 billion; while its paid-up capital stood at RM626.4 million as at 30th September 2016. The company had a market capitalisation of RM6.4 billion as at 30th September 2016.

On 28th June 2016, Top Glove was listed on the mainboard of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) and opened

9 at S$1.62 – which is a proud moment for the company.

“We are continuously looking for ways to enhance shareholder value, one of which is through the secondary listing, which enables our shareholders to trade their Top Glove shares either on the Singapore Stock Exchange or Bursa Malaysia.

“Our SGX listing is also expected to enhance investor reach and diversify our investor base. This will enable us to tap into a new platform for potential future fundraising. It will also enhance our visibility among international investors, analysts and media,” says Tan Sri Lim. This year Top Glove announced a joint venture with DHS Emergency Asia Sdn Bhd continuing its relentless expansion into the healthcare business.

Tan Sri Lim says Top Glove is always on the lookout for synergistic M&A (merger and acquisition) opportunities and JV arrangements in similar or related businesses, to grow the business further and faster. He adds that the venture with DHS is one such opportunity that aligns with its current business and focus on health.

It was also announced that the company was planning another acquisition exercise by the end of this year. Tan Sri Lim says the company has set itself a target to acquire at least one company a year.

“Our strong balance sheet position enables us to tap into equity and borrowings easily. We are open to exploring viable M&A opportunities with glove businesses and other industries.

We prefer companies that are already profitable and able to immediately contribute to the Group.”

In 3QFY16, Top Glove reported softer earnings but analysts are still expecting bullish earnings in Q4, which is a testament to its strength and stability.

“We did not perform as well as we hoped to in 3QFY16 owing to a strengthening of the ringgit against the US dollar as well as significant increases in raw material prices.

“We also felt the impact of the natural gas tariff increase for the full quarter, while intensive competition in the nitrile glove segment affected our margins and bottomline. However, we still delivered volume growth in spite

of a difficult business environment.

“Going forward, we expect to do better in the next quarter with a more stable ringgit and raw material prices.

Moreover, the Group’s accumulated profit of RM297 million at 9MFY16, has already exceeded the full financial year profit of RM281 million in FY15, so we can look forward to another recordbreaking year,” says Tan Sri Lim.

Putting money where its mouth is Top Glove has plans to build its own chemical dispersion plant, which is expected to be ready in nine months to a year, and fully operational by Q2 of 2017. The plant will be able to cover its Malaysian factories’ chemical consumption.

Tan Sri Lim views the building of the plant as a step for the company to save on chemical cost, protect its unique formulation and allows them to carry out R&D to further improve the quality of their gloves.

The company has invested RM3 million towards the setting up of a dedicated R&D Centre of Excellence.

The Centre is focused on developing new products and technologies, towards introducing new, marketdriven products, and to move product enhancement forward.

“Every year, we target to develop at least six new products. These include PPE gloves for industrial use, damp donning gloves for easy wearing when the hands are wet and latex-free gloves

suitable for users with latex allergy,” says Tan Sri Lim. Top Glove has also invested in new technologies and advanced instruments that allow for highly advanced analytical testing at the R&D centre. These include: Scanning electron microscope (SEM) for nano-imaging, elemental and samples; Particle size and zeta potential analysers to check on particle size and formulation stability; Contact angle analyser to check on the surface and interfacial tension of liquids; Systems for Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and high performance liquid chromatography-gel permeation chromatography for glove analysis; and Robotic system for the automation of sample preparation.

Last year, the company targeted to file six patents – a target exceeded when it filed eight.

In its R&D department, Top Glove employs more than 111 staff, including 18 Masters’ degree and 9 PhD holders.

The company expects to increase its R&D manpower to 200 by the end of next year.

In the face of headwinds Currently, the battered Malaysian economy is still faced with a volatile ringgit and depressing global fuel prices.

These external factors can adversely affect companies dependent on commodity trading in its business and Top Glove is no exception.

Top Glove’s successful listing on the Mainboard of SGX on 28th June 2016.

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Cover Story

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Top Glove factories are equipped with advanced machinery to produce consistently high quality gloves at efficient low cost.

“I also advocate investing in R&D. It is essential for businesses to stay relevant and it gives companies the competitive edge to take it to the next level."

Top Glove continues to invest in R&D in order to remain competitive.

Tan Sri Lim admits that the business is affected by ringgit volatility and raw material prices.

“To mitigate the effects, we have to focus on factors that are within our control such as internal improvements – increasing our quality and efficiency, keeping our costs low, minimising wastage – capacity expansion and installing new technologicallyadvanced production lines.”

Despite the challenging economic climate Tan Sri Lim still believes Malaysia has a lot to offer as a business-friendly destination.

He points to the low-cost business environment where affordable salary levels for qualified professionals are possible in Malaysia. Further

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emphasising the country's previous year commercial appeal is its adoption of business-friendly policies such as special taxation and financial incentives that encourage foreign investment, particularly in R&D and sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, information and communications, biotechnology, education and industrial-related technology.

“However, the political and economic uncertainty we have been exposed to of late is not conducive for promoting Malaysia as the preferred business and investment destination, especially in view of our target to evolve into a high-income nation by 2020.

“I hope the government will take

long-term actions to ensure Malaysia continues to prosper and remain harmonious, so that businesses can flourish. I also hope to see the government being more efficient in its fiscal management, plugging leakage and actively supporting the private sector, to enable us to stay competitive in the international market,” says Tan Sri Lim. It is evident that Tan Sri Lim’s philosophy, in life and business, has paid off handsomely and Top Glove currently operates 28 facilities around the world, with an annual production capacity of 46.6 billion gloves. This industry captain is still going strong as he leads the company into its 2020 milestone and beyond.

Feature

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Future In Fast Food Despite a declining growth trend in the emerging markets and developing economies, the fast food industry remains, largely, a stable industry.

ccording to Euromonitor International, the QSR (quick service restaurants) brands led sales with a 42% value share of the Malaysian fast food market and reached a whopping RM2.1 billion in value sales in 2015 (this is impressive especially when one bears in mind that the profit margin for each product sold is quite small), followed by Golden Arches with a 28% value share.

Followed in third place, the Golden Donuts saw the highest increase in value sales (12%) and value share over the year of 2015.

QSR brands seems to be dominating Malaysia’s rapidly expanding retail and fast food industry. They are extensively involved in poultry production and processing, as well as a host of ancillary business such as baking and

A

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sauce production. It is not difficult to see why they are so successful in the Malaysian market with economics of scale on their side.

So, what does the future hold for the fast food industry in Malaysia in the coming years?

We have seen a huge shift in consumer attitudes towards the way they consume, be it food or even fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and consumer wants and needs would be the biggest driver for change for the future of the fast food industry.

Drivers for change/ – latest consumer Trends A new definition of “healthy” In the past, consuming fast foods was generally frowned upon as it was viewed as unhealthy as the products

were high in preservatives, additives, saturated fats and sodium. With the increasing number of consumers developing greater awareness of health and well-being, one may think, the fast food industry would suffer.

However, with the recent trends of the fast food industry reformulating and with the introduction of new healthier options for consumers to choose from, there seem to be no sign of the industry slowing down.

With consumers being more aware of the concept of healthy eating, the introduction of salads, wraps and fruit juices instead of the regular burgers, fries and carbonated drinks enables the consumers who may not have the time to cook at home feel comfortable or reassured with their food choices.

Snacking Along with the awareness of healthier eating, the concept of snacking that had traditionally had a bad reputation, seems to be gaining more traction with the modern urban consumers. The ability to choose from a wide variety of snack that will satiate the consumer immediately without causing them too much guilt when consumed seems to be the way forward.

There is also an increasing number

of fast food chains that offers a variety of deals for snacks and/or tea time since the national past time in Malaysia, is eating. Rather than having a burger during tea time which, in the long run, could add up to a lot, the average consumer can now choose from a variety of light meals at a much cheaper price especially if it was bundled up as a value deal.

Tech-savvy ordering/tech driven food delivery In today’s world, consumers may not necessarily have the time to travel to brick and mortar outlets of fast food chains, stand in line and wait for their orders to be prepared.

That is why in recent years, we see an increase in web based ordering or even mobile phone application based ordering covering a wider radius of delivery area.

In fact, there are many platforms/ online food ordering sites out there right now that does not even require a consumer to order food from the fast food company themselves (possibly due to the remote location the consumer is in) that will deliver food right up to the consumer’s doorstep.

This option not only caters to those consumers who may not have the time to visit a brick and mortar outlet to enjoy their meals of choice but it also enables consumers who may not be within the delivery area of their favourite fast food chain to do the same.

Further, this new trend would even obviate the need for drive-through which takes up valuable square footage of an outlet and in turn maximises the profits of the business. Now, this is the epitome of killing several birds with one stone.

How recent consumer trends would affect the fast food industry A demand for clean labels/ food with a story We foresee the consumers demanding higher accountability from the fast food industry. Accountability in terms of where the food they are served originates from, whether the food were obtained under fair trade conditions or whether the food were genetically modified etc. Further, we foresee that there would be a higher demand by the consumers for nutritional data for their favourite food to be displayed on menus to assist the average consumers to make wiser food choices.

What this translates into would necessarily mean a potential hike in production costs for the fast food industry and also a potential increase in the cost from the supply chain network due to the loss of economies of scale. For when the fresh foods are sourced from local farmers, the fast food industry would need to source for several large scale farms in order to secure sufficient produce to distribute to the entire chain around Malaysia.

This would in turn affect the cost of the fast food company’s respective transport networks and distribution channels.

The demand for better deals With the recent economic conditions in Malaysia caused by the weakening Ringgit, consumers are increasingly looking for better deals that are provided by the fast food industry. Whilst it is important to provide healthier options to consumers, it is also imperative to create a deal that the consumers would perceive as “value for money”.

This not only ensures that the fast food industry capitalises on the spending capacity of the consumers with a comfortable income, but it would also reach out and appeal to those belonging to the lower income group in Malaysia.

Catering for special dietary needs Seeing as a large majority of the population in Malaysia comprises of Muslims and in terms of religion, it is of utmost importance for Muslims to consume food that is halal. Not only the meat that is supplied to the fast food industry needs to be halal but all other items (that are not meat) would need to be free from contamination of alcohol and/or porcine contaminants.

Halal certification is a process by which food is certified by a government-controlled agency and the agency certifies and labels a company’s products can be lawfully consumed by Muslims. The halal certificate is an assurance that a particular product has been thoroughly investigated and found to conform to the Islamic laws is suitable for use

by Muslim consumers.

Not too long ago, there was a public outcry in Malaysia over Texas Chicken Malaysia’s ranch dipping sauce which was originally labelled with the word “Church” on the tin foil of the dipping sauce. This was despite the fact that Texas Chicken Malaysia was a fully halal certified fast food restaurant/ fast food chain in Malaysia. Luckily for Texas Chicken Malaysia, it came up with a satisfactory reply and hence the chain remains halal certified. The importance of halal certification in Malaysia cannot be overlooked.

Perhaps that is why, not many new fast food chains are penetrating into the Malaysian fast food market and it is due to the stringent quality controls that in place prior to a halal certification being issued. This is definitely good news for local fast food franchises!

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Feature

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When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Agile

By Joanna S. Lee

“The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak that breaks in the storm.”

– Confucius.

t is true that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. In this case, if SMEs want to get tough, they should bend it not exactly like Beckham, but as green reeds just as Confucius had advised. According to Landor’s study on brand performances, strong brands possess the ability to be flexible and relevant.

What separates the strong brands from the rest are two attributes they seem to possess – leading and true.

“When brands are leading but not true, they tend to be niche or up-andcoming. When brands are true but not leading, they tend to be mature or eroding. However, when brands are both leading and true, they are frequently the strongest in their category, occupying a leadership position.” – Landor in “The Agility Paradox” (2015) However, we see that in times of economic uncertainties, it is common for businesses to cut down on A&P expenditure and to neglect the importance of branding. Many studies have also concluded that increasing expenditure during economic slowdowns is the best strategy for long-term ROI’s.

Price slashing has also proven itself as a reactive yet potentially harmful strategy in the long run.

While it looks like the bigger boys’ game (as their war chest is bigger), how can SMEs compete in these challenging times?

One is to take a cue from tactics that brands have employed smart measures

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to ride the low tides. The key seems to be their ability to understand consumer behaviour during economic downturns.

Looking into their behaviour, consumers who spend less during challenging times might be looking for alternatives for dining, travelling, entertainment, and even healthcare.

One brand, Snuggies created a blanket that can be worn like a bathrobe as a response to American consumers’ preference to stay at home to watch movies curled up on their sofa.

Historically, women spend more on cosmetics during recessions. Lipstick sales during down times are a yardstick proof of this. People may also switch to less preferred brands. But they still value quality and good service, though.

The Harvard Business Review suggests how consumers prioritise their consumption may fall into four categories – a) essentials b) treats c) postponeables, and d) expendables Essentials are basic necessities like food, shelter, clothing and perhaps even medicine and transportation. Treats are

things they purchase immediately but view as justifiable. Postponeables are items they desire or need but are able to be put off till later.

Lastly, expendables are items that are considered unjustifiable purchases or unnecessary.

Havas Worldwide Kuala Lumpur’s managing director Andrew Lee had said that “maintaining meaningful connections with consumers” is something businesses need to focus on besides managing the challenges of shrinking budgets.

Landor’s Global Agile Brand Study outlined six behaviours which has kept strong brands afloat and could provide SME’s with some principles of stronger branding. Strong brands display traits of being adaptive, principled, open, responsible, global and multichannel.

These six traits summarises what Landor puts as “agile thinking”. The following are examples of business agility in a Malaysian context.

Adaptive – KK Group has thrived on its founder Dato’ Dr. K.K. Chai’s principle “when opportunity knocks, I open the door”. In just 13 years, his business

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has increased tenfold by diversifying into super marts, beauty and hair, surveillance systems, development and construction, home décor, fashion, hotel, automobile, and sport complex. He believes in a hands-on approach and a passion for diverse range of businesses.

We could also take a cue from the old Baba businessmen of Malacca.

When they noticed that their IndoChinese business partners valued beetles as delicacies, they adapted the traditional Chinese jade jewellery designs and created jade “beetle” brooches and jewellery designs of other insects familiar to their Indo-Chinese counterparts as gifts to win their hearts.

Principled – Sunway Group’s founder Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah attributes his success to three principle tenets – integrity, humility and excellence. He believes in confronting issues at hand and surrounding himself with the best brains being “colour” and “religion” blind.

Being true to your core business tenets translates to being trustworthy to jaded consumers who are exposed to too many promises unfulfilled and mediocre products and services. As Apple Group’s managing director Dato’ Sri Lee Ee Hoe said, “Being hands-on in your business is important as the brand promise needs to be kept for the brand to succeed.”

Open – Poh Kong reaches out to the newer generation by being one of the first in the market to offer white gold and platinum products to cater to modern tastes. It has also transcended cultural barriers by customising its range of jewellery to suit the multicultural communities in Malaysia.

Being open to changes, innovations and collaborations has helped seal its position in a competitive market.

Another local business that imports Kuvings juicers from South Korea is fast becoming the apple of its customers’ eyes due to its openness in engagement with its audience via prompt and courteous responses to customer queries and complaints, exciting contests and recipes posted by customers on its social media and its hands-on effort to help educate customers on using its product.

Its openness in engaging with customer feedback has created a community of satisfied and engaged users.

Responsible – Focus Point makes it a priority to send its mobile optical service to those in need while KK Group established BB Charity to serve those in need in the Golden Triangle area of Kuala Lumpur. Digi’s #StopNurseryCrimes project among its many social awareness campaigns has contributed much to Malaysian social awareness of issues of national importance. A brand’s commitment to the improvement of infrastructures and societal needs seal its position in the minds of consumers.

After all, with social media’s reach today, any good deed (or misdeed) is easily broadcast and shared out there.

Global – From its humble beginnings in Ipoh with its winning 3-in-1 coffee formula, OldTown has now expanded to 240 outlets in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, China and Australia.

Bonia has also proven itself to be a global brand simply due to its founders’ passion to craft the best leather goods of international standard. Their careful

and strategic planning and execution of advertising campaigns, endorsements by celebrities and efficient A&P spend was also instrumental in capturing the attention of their international market.

Multichannel – Local banks such as Maybank and CIMB Bank are known for engaging their customers through multichannels of communication to enhance their experience of the brand.

They constantly innovate on reaching out to their consumers through various mediums and platforms. SMEs can certainly leverage upon social media strategies or diversify into other channels.

In summary, the key of being agile is tied to being leading and true – staying relevant, up to date, and staying authentic in offering your best. It still goes back to the basics of being the best at what you do while looking at consumer’s needs in challenging times, finding out how they might perceive your products or services, discovering how you might innovate upon what you can offer.

Changes are inevitable. Cutting costs isn’t the only way to go as proven by some cases. Remember to keep your presence and share of voice in the market. Find multichannel platforms to engage with loyal customers. Giving value back to your customers with your best brings meaning to your consumers whenever they engage with your brand, be it in the good or bad times.

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Art Of Winning Hearts, Changing Minds

By Dr Victor S.L.Tan

here is a serious flaw in the way leaders go about changing the minds of people. They are ineffective in getting people to change their thinking and their ways. The truth is that many change initiatives in organisations fail. Changing minds is an art and not a science. Changing minds go beyond reasons and logic.

It delves into the core of change – the hearts and feelings of people.

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Managing the ego The ego makes a great part of a person.

In fact, it drives people’s thinking and action. To persuade someone, we need to understand how to manage his or her ego. Some people’s egos centred around their achievement, hence recognising them is a key influence here.

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“To move people towards positive change, we must win their hearts by appealing to their emotion. Thus influential leaders often tell touching stories to rally people up.”

Others wrap their egos around their areas of expertise or educational levels. Some pride themselves of their experience or long sufferings. Managing the egos of others is an essential step in creating the right environment towards changing minds. To get people to accept change, leaders must leverage on people’s ego positively.

For example, consulting people, asking for their suggestions and engaging their talents are needed not only to make them feel good and but also to get their buy-in and win them over.

Appealing to the emotion Human beings are emotional creatures.

They are moved more by emotion than logic. Most leaders will try their best to be as professional as possible. However, deep down they are driven by their

17 emotions and feelings which in turn are influenced by their past experience.

To move people towards positive change, we must win their hearts by appealing to their emotion. Thus influential leaders often tell touching stories to rally people up. For example, the founder of a company in the midst of a financial crisis, appealed to his staff amidst sobs and tears to stick together during that challenging times.

He shared how the company has provided a livelihood for many single mothers that enable them to put their children to university and who have subsequently become successful leaders in their respective field.

He pleaded to his staff to take a temporary pay cut to their save the careers and the livelihood of these people. The staff agreed and the company overcame the crisis.

“To win hearts, leaders must understand each specific needs and concerns of individuals and find ways to connect the proposed change to these needs.”

Developing a credible track record Rome was not built in a day. Likewise, the power of influence takes time to build. Great leaders take the time to develop a track record of commitment and achievement in their specific field to the extent that these achievement speak louder than their words. They are consistent in their beliefs, thinking and action they take towards the cause they are advocating.

Over the period of time they develop a powerful image to the extent their reputation precedes them. Often they become the “icons” of their field and their influence is so powerful that they can touch the hearts and change minds of their followers. Hence when Oprah Winfrey spoke at the Harvard University Commencement in 2013, all the graduates, including professors were influenced and swayed by her philosophy of life and success. Such is the power of winning hearts and changing minds.

Addressing people’s needs It has been said that people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. For most people, all interest begins with selfinterest. Minus the saintly people of the likes of Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi, most humans tune in very quickly to one channel that interest them, W.I.I.F.M. (What’s In It For Me). To win hearts, leaders must understand each specific needs and concerns of individuals and find ways to connect the proposed change to these needs. Until leaders address these needs, the best logic will not touch their hearts or win their minds towards change.

Winning the attention Today we live in a world of great distraction. On a touch of our mobile screen, we can instantly access to online exciting entertainment, shocking and sensational news around the world.

Leaders who want to change the point of views of their audience especially with the Gen Y better find ways to captivate their attention.

The impatience of Gen Y seems to be written on their faces with the following inarticulated comments: • Tell me something I not already know.

• Show me something I have not already seen.

• Share with me something I have not already experienced.

desired change. Powerful leaders are very convincing and persuasive. In this respect there is no greater persuasion than through leadership by example.

All talk about change will come to naught if leaders do not lead by example. When leaders walk their talk, their commitment is showing and its influence is very powerful and contagious. Dr Albert Schweitzer, the selfless missionary doctor who served in Africa said it best, “ Example is not the main thing in influencing people, it is the only thing.”

Great leaders of the likes of Nelson Mandela or Steve Jobs who touched the hearts and changed minds of people are those who speak with passion about their own unique experience with unrival commitment which people themselves have not witnessed or experienced themselves. And that kind of marvel and intensity captivates hearts and change minds.

Leading by example

Dr Victor SL Tan is the CEO of KL Strategic Change Consulting Group. He undertakes change management consulting and training. He is also the author of 10 management books. His programme on Winning Hearts, Changing Minds has been through its 100th intake.

Email him at victorsltan@klscc. com or call 012-390 3168.

To win the hearts of people we need to influence them positively towards the

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Maintaining Success At The Highest Levels Once again the CEO Night receives a rousing reception with Top Glove Corporation Bhd executive chairman and founder Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai sharing his business practices and ethics as well as personal motto.

s one of the highlights of the year, MRCA has organised a dinner talk series of its own called CEO Night. This year’s keynote speaker is none other than Top Glove’s Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai, following in the footsteps of luminaries and industry captains such as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin. Before Tan Sri Dr Lim took to the stage, MRCA president Datuk Garry Chua started the ball rolling with his welcome speech. In it, he pointed out

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that the best way for businesses to learn was through industry leaders and the event was organised for the purpose of nurturing and grooming Malaysia’s local businesses to compete at a global level.

“CEO Night has hosted many prominent speakers since it started in 2008,” said Dato’ Chua.

With the addition of Lim, he said, MRCA continues to have top captains of the industry share their insights, challenges and CSR initiatives from which businesses could draw inspiration.

The Top Glove Group of Companies was established in 1991, and listed on Bursa Malaysia in 2001, a volatile time where 80% of glove factories closed down due to stiff market competition as well as the effects of the Asian Financial Crisis.

Since its Bursa listing, Top Glove has demonstrated a steady growth with a compound annual growth rate of 25% for revenue and 29% profit after tax for the past 15 years. Now, it is the world’s largest rubber glove manufacturer with 28 factories and 500 production lines

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“Our products are widely used in developed nations but the majority of the world’s population resides in emerging countries. This is where we can expand our growth.”

one must have knowledge, be able to apply it and be willing to share it.

“Many companies fail to grow big because leaders are not willing to share out of fear. Without teaching, your people cannot help the company to compete in the market. But if they do better than us, they teach us something as well and that’s how we can grow together.”

Tan Sri dR Lim’s other rule is to stay fit and healthy

across three countries and has captured 25% of the world market share through its comprehensive product range which serves the healthcare and nonhealthcare segments.

After a sumptuous dinner hosted

by Top Glove at its headquarters in Setia Alam, Tan Sri Dr Lim finally took to the stage for a long awaited keynote speech.

He first shared how Top Glove got to its leading position. Tan Sri Dr Lim attributed the achievement to a growing market, product line-up, quality, innovation and cost efficiency.

Despite its 25% world market share, the company is aiming for a higher market share by expanding into emerging countries.

“Our products are widely used in developed nations but the majority of the world’s population resides in emerging countries. This is where we can expand our growth.”

The company’s expansion plans include increasing production lines in its factories to 540, capable of producing 52.4 billion gloves annually by February 2017, as it works towards a 30% world market share by 2020.

Tan Sri Dr Lim attributed his success to having the right company culture and the right philosophies. He said Top Glove observed integrity, honesty and transparency as well as punctuality in its offices while the company’s “must know, must do, must teach” management philosophy indicated that

“When you are sick, you don’t earn anything and you continue to have to spend money on fixed expenses on top of medical costs. But when you’re healthy, you can add value everyday.”

To encourage his staff to put health first, the company distributes dental kits and encourages them to be hygienic. This includes a strict nosmoking policy, various sport activities held throughout the year, book reading projects and more.

“Here, it is normal to see our staff, from top management down, brushing their teeth several times a day. If you don’t do that, then you’re considered ‘not normal’ in Top Glove.”

Among many key success factors, Tan Sri Dr Lim said it was necessary for businesses to invest in research and development.

“Research is important to change and improve for the betterment of any business.

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“Many companies fail to grow big because leaders are not willing to share, out of fear.

Without teaching, your people cannot help the company to compete in the market. But if they do better than us, they teach us something as well and that’s how we can grow together.”

“Lots of companies fall short when it comes to this; we need to invest not only in terms of R&D for products, but also for the people managing them, the technology that creates them, the marketing and finance as well as automation in terms of manufacturing systems.

“If you don’t and your competitors do, you’ll eventually phase out.”

He also stressed on having integrity and being honest. The many anticorruption policies that are in place include employees being required to wear “To Prevent & Against Corruption, Corruption is a Crime, Be Honest, No

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Cheating” badges. All factory main gates have a signage displaying its anti-graft taglines.

Suppliers and external parties that have financial dealings with Top Glove are required to sign a letter of enforcement of no corruption every six months and in 2009, the Top Glove Prevention and Anti Corruption Committee was established.

His sharing that evening also included seeing opportunities in crises, meticulous quality standards, learning from mistakes and immediately fixing them, as well as philosophies to live by.

Throughout his speech the audience

of some 800 were rapt with attention, absorbing nuggets of information about conducting an ethical and successful business, personal growth and more.

As the night wound down, many took the opportunity to seek out meaningful business connections and network while enjoying entertainment from a live band.

The event sponsors are ADV Fusionex Sdn Bhd (Diamond sponsor) and Top Glove Corporation Berhad (Platinum sponsor) while Maxis and Maybank are MRCA’s Corporate Patrons.

Some 100 lucky draw prizes were also given out to members of the audience.

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Sneak Peek Into Sunway Velocity Sunway Group’s latest mall development in Cheras is home to well-known international and local retailers.

heras residents are in for a treat when Sunway Velocity Mall opens its doors end of this year. Helmed by Sunway Group, the lifestyle mall has seven levels and four precincts – Market Place, Vanity Hall, Food Street Food, and The Balcony.

The 23-acre integrated development costs RM4.5 billion and is located 3.0km from Kuala Lumpur City Centre, flanked by Jalan Cheras, Jalan Shelly and Jalan Peel. According to the developer, the project comprises residential, commercial, healthcare, and retail components with sprawling public spaces.

Sunway Malls & Theme Parks Chief Executive Officer, H.C. Chan, says its location is ideal as the mall will serve a large and affluent population in Cheras.

“We saw that there wasn’t a large size lifestyle mall in Cheras and Sunway Velocity Mall comes in nicely with our unique tenancy mix which boasts several new concepts.”

Chan pointed out some examples such as AEON MaxValu Prime and TGV Cinemas. AEON MaxValu Prime is a first for Malaysia. It targets customers seeking quality living and a trendy lifestyle, carrying comprehensive food, fresh products, stylish merchandise

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Mr H.C. Chan, CEO of Sunway Malls & Theme Parks.

Mr Kevin Tan, COO of Sunway Malls.

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and household goods from different countries. It is also known for selling premium grade meats, sushi, fine wines and international cuisine.

Meanwhile TGV Cinemas will be introducing its second IMAX Indulge in Sunway Velocity. Movie-goers can experience superb IMAX movies with TGV’s Indulge treatment. It will also be a unique offering in the mall.

Its net lettable area of 1 million sq ft will be occupied by other big names such as Parkson, Uniqlo, Padini Concept Store, JD Sports, Harvey Norman, CHi-X Fitness, Home’s Harmony, Popular Bookstore, Toys “R” Us, and Grand Imperial.

To further cement its position as a platform for an exciting retail experience, it has cutting edge architecture, a neo futuristic façade, and a contemporary interior. As for accessibility, Sunway Velocity is serviced by SMART, KLSeremban, NPE and Maju Expressway. It is also just a stop away from Tun Razak Exchange by MRT from Cochrane Station and walking distance from IKEA Cheras.

The Sunway Group has had much success with its other shopping centres, namely Sunway Pyramid, Sunway Giza, Sunway Carnival and Sunway Putra, and hope to replicate its achievement with Sunway Velocity Mall, especially

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Sunway Velocity’s official unveiling ceremony. (From left) Home’s Harmony Managing Director Roland Chew, Harvey Norman General Manager Eddy Ng, Padini Concept Store General Manager Operations Andrew Yong, TGV Cinemas CEO Gerald Dibbayawan, Parkson COO Law Boon Eng, Sunway Property Development Managing Director Sarena Cheah, Fawanis Sdn Bhd Shareholder Dato’ Puan Sri Hamidah Abdullah, Sunway Group Founder and Chairman Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah, Sunway Malls & Theme Parks CEO H.C. Chan, Sunway Malls COO Kevin Tan, AEON MaxValu Prime General Manager Toshiniro Ozawa, Uniqlo COO Jocelyn Ng, JD CEO Justin Lim, CHI-X CEO Mike Lamb, Popular General Manager Siew Sheue Liang and Grand Imperial Managing Director Rand Cheung.

placing emphasis on its food and beverage segment.

Among the popular restaurateurs that are signed up for Sunway Velocity are Morganfield’s, Rakuzen, NY Steak Shack, Zen House, Doutor Coffee, Dragon-i, Caffebene and Maison de gigi.

Each are leaders in their own markets.

Meanwhile, Market Place provides patrons with everyday essentials and eateries, while Vanity Hall caters to all beauty needs. Food Street Food supplies a wide variety of local hawker delights, and head on over to the Balcony to enjoy a meal, relax, and engage in fun workshops on a glass-encased open deck.

The fashion-conscious will be happy to note that Marks & Spencer, Sacoor Brothers, Timberland, SPAO, Cotton On, and Braun Buffel will be welcoming customers at Sunway Velocity Mall while beauty brands M.A.C, Laneige, Innisfree, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, and Estee Lauder will be there too.

To complement the mall, the developer has unveiled ongoing projects such as 737 units of office suites and shops, 1,009 units of serviced apartments and a 351-room hotel slated for completion next year.

More importantly Sunway Medical Centre will be operating a 300,000 sq ft facility nearby. It will include 240 beds, 66 outpatient specialist clinics and six operating theatres. It is scheduled to be completed in 2018.

Sunway Velocity development model.

Food Street Food.

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d r a u g e f Sa Your ess n i s u B

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ours h g n , lo work ights. d r a It’s h epless n our y le and s y you run ecome a d ob Each ny for it t d in its a cte comp ss, respe retail ce he a suc owever, t stantly n H field. ector is co olving, s v chain ged and e sure your n ry en chall u must e ed in eve ct yo thus, s is prote es d. busin f the wor eo sens

ay, you have already established a stable business, be it in food and beverage, mall retail and standalone stores, you will want to ensure your assets are well protected.

This is where business insurance comes in.

Just like life insurance, it serves to shield your business from unforeseen and untoward events that can adversely affect your brand, which in turn destabilised your company financially. In general, insurance policies are purchased to cover every aspect of the business.

For example, the common ones are fire and theft, goods in transit, stock deterioration as well as public and employee liability. These serve to minimise losses should anything happen to, say, your inventory, equipment or premises as well as some form of protection when an employee is hurt on the job.

Protection against personal liability is crucial too. This can ensure that business owners are insulated from damages or

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injuries that occurred in the business premises during operational hours. If business owner are not covered against liabilities, they will need to liquidate personal assets if they are held liable.

flow while you focus on dealing with whatever issues that crop up.

Keeping premiums low

Uniquely designed

For the retail chain industry, cost to renovate and purchase of new equipment and stock for a single outlet

Insurance does not need to cost an arm or a leg. Many business owners automatically assume it is something they cannot afford, especially in the early days of building up the company. Some also regard insurance as a luxury for established or international companies.

It need not be so. Business insurance policies can be tailored to the size of your organisation, often a tax deductible expense. It is vital to safeguard the business you have worked so hard to build.

Think about it, are you willing to risk forgoing insurance protection, subjecting yourself to catastrophic loss due to accidents, grievous injuries, fire, irresponsible contractors and so on. With good coverage, your business is still functional with adequate cash

Dato’ Winnie Lim created her innovative insurance product to address an acute need for flexible policies.

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With good coverage, your business is still functional with adequate cash flow while you focus on dealing with whatever issues that crop up.

The Smart Retail Solution is most suited to F&B companies that have outlets in various permutations.

is high. And newly opened stores are the perfect boon for thieves, which are rampant to say the least. They can make away with new computers, furniture, office equipment and inventory. With proper coverage, you can recoup these losses and replace them with minimal expense.

However, there lies a rub. Research on the types of insurance and insurers are time consuming and frankly, confusing as devil are in the details. One forgotten addition or deletion can affect payouts, leaving you exposed despite having paid premiums.

In fact, retail chain owners are often faced with numerous insurance requirements. For example, they need different insurance coverage, depending on the type of outlet – in a mall, shoplot, standalone – leaving them frustrated with their policies.

Every insurance company offers varied coverage but it is still a muddled area where one can be bogged down with ridiculous amount of details and regulations. What the industry needs is an umbrella policy that is flexible according to your business needs – able to cope with fast growth or the downsizing exercise.

Seeing this gap, Solution Risk Consultants Sdn Bhd designed a 12-in-1

umbrella policy for small and medium sized businesses. Underwritten by Allianz Insurance, this customisable product intends to serve the retail chain industry, especially MRCA members.

Comprehensive 12-in-1 coverage Smart Retail Solution is the brainchild of Dato’ Winnie Lim, who is the founder of Solution Risk. She saw an acute shortage of limber insurance plans that advocated easier management and detailed coverage.

The 12 areas covered are – Fire Material Damage, Fire Consequential Loss, Burglary, Money, Glass, Fidelity Guarantee, All Risks, Deterioration of Stock, Goods in Transit, Personal Accident, Public Liability and Employee’s Liability.

“Take for example the fire insurance.

Outlets in shopping centres have a lower premium while standalone outlets command higher premiums. So business owners will have to purchase two different policies to cater to that.

“Smart Retail Solution eliminates that hand-wringing. You get the same coverage for mall and standalone outlets but at the price of the cheaper premium. Both outlets get the same coverage,” Dato’ Lim explains.

Such flexibility allows for more efficient management and also a peace of mind. The policy is customisable to the size of the business, leaving room for adjustments for growth later.

“This unique offering is the first of its kind in Malaysia, for now. It is best suited for F&B outlets, retail chain stores and convenience stores, where risks are high and outlets are many.

Since the majority of MRCA members are involved in those two segments, it really provided a huge inspiration when I was designing this product.

“Why should insurance coverage be complicated? I want to make it easy and fuss free so owners can instead focus on other business needs,” she says.

The solution has more than a handful of additional features that puts it above its competition. It offers free renovation and contractor’s all-risk benefits, and event liability coverage, both of up to RM500,000. Clients can also enjoy no claim discounts, renewal bonus, automated addition and deletion, and emergency relief.

At its core business insurance is a protection you cannot do without. It is critical to also choose the right product that is personalised to meet rigorous demands of different businesses.

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nd

Intellectual Property Rights:

The Key to Beating Your Competition

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IPR

By P. Kandiah

Lega

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ost SMEs are set up by people who were once employees in an organisation where they had acquired the necessary technical skills and knowledge to make the product their employer was manufacturing. These individuals had the entrepreneurial spirit burning deep inside them, and armed with the skill/ knowledge and a little capital (usually from personal savings, a little help from family members or friends), they venture out on their own to start a business, often in competition with their previous employer. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, unless they are in breach of their employment contract or misuse their employer’s trade secrets or confidential information.

The entrepreneur is now on his/her own to conquer the business world.

Initially, the entrepreneur or company started by the employeeturned-entrepreneur will compete in the market on price and perhaps superior service to attract new clients. However, one cannot use price advantage for long if one intends to remain in business or for the business to grow bigger. The entrepreneur of the new SME has to secure other competitive advantages to remain in business and for the SME to grow and expand into new territories.

This is where Government sanctioned “monopolies” come to assistance. Yes, I am referring to Trademarks, Patents, Industrial Designs and Copyright (collectively referred to as Intellectual Property Rights or IPRs).

Anyone who obtains a registered trademark, grant of patent or certificate of industrial design has a virtual

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monopoly over the usage of the right for a limited period of time. The proprietor of these IPRs has the exclusive right to stop others from using an identical or substantially similar trademark or from using their patent-protected technology.

With this exclusive right to the IPRs, the proprietor can charge a premium price to their product or service to recover their investment such as R&D costs and branding costs, among others.

Many entrepreneurs and SMEs perceive the costs of obtaining IPRs as expensive and IPRs themselves as difficult to enforce. Plus, there are other misconceptions about IPRs too, and it would probably take an entire article in itself to address these. The fact is, the cost of obtaining IPRs – at least in Malaysia – is not high and is affordable by most SMEs. It is more costly to the business if IPRs are not secured.

Imagine spending thousands of ringgit and years to build up a brand name and yet neglecting to spend a thousand or two more to protect the brand as a registered trademark, the registration of which enables the SME to sue any infringer.

Let me cite an actual case that happened in Malaysia. A restaurant business was set up in a prominent part of Kuala Lumpur. Business boomed. The partners never bothered to register the name of the restaurant as a trademark.

Unknown to them, some ex-employees registered the business name as a trademark, and it did not end there.

After obtaining the registration, they sued the restaurant for infringement of “their trademark”.

The restaurant had to face a long trial in the High Court. Not only did the

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partners suffer loss of sleep, they (along with the restaurant) were also made to look bad in the media (thus affecting their reputation) and incur thousands of ringgit in legal costs. However, they finally managed to “get back” their trademark. Their ignorance in not recognising the market power of their trademark nearly cost them the loss of their business. So SMEs, no matter what business they are involved in, should always seek their IP consultants’ advice on obtaining IP rights for the competitive advantages they enjoy.

In the current business world and rapid globalisation of trade, IPRs have come to play a crucial role in the very survival of SMEs. Unless entrepreneurs and SMEs fully appreciate the strategic role IPRs play in the existence or survival of their business, they may be wiped out from business by their competitors who have learnt to use IPRs as a business weapon to destroy or maim rival businesses.

P. Kandiah is the Founder and Director of KASS International, an established intellectual property firm with offices in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Mr. Kandiah has vast experience in obtaining patents, trademarks and industrial design rights on a global scale, and also specializes in identifying patentable inventions, designing around patented technology, and advising on the commercialization of IP Rights, franchising and licensing strategies. For more information, visit www.kass.com.my or drop an e-mail to kass@kass.com.my.

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Tips From The Best Subway Malaysia climbs in popularity, thanks to the efforts of Datuk Vincent Choo and his team.

When did the Subway franchise start in Malaysia?

Subway Malaysia started its first franchise restaurant in 1999, but the brand only started to resurface actively after we took hold of the franchise at the end of 2004.

At that time, what were the main challenges in setting up as well as signing up franchisees?

The Subway brand did suffered a little during it’s earlier inception as many of the locations which started in 1999 quickly dwindled from 11 to only 1.

Due to the fast pace of closure of the restaurants, people were a bit reluctant of the products and the brand itself.

The main challenge was really to gain the confidence of our suppliers and landlords because the brand had a really

rough time after having to close down most of its earlier locations. We wanted to ensure that everyone knew that this time, we would make a difference and are here to stay.

In order to drive that confidence, we opened the first location under our hands and ensure operations were well run, customers were delighted again, and supplies were consistent. Once all of the fundamentals were in place, enquiries started to roll in.

What are the advantages of a Subway franchise in this day and age?

The Subway franchise has a 51-year track record of supporting/running more than 44,000 locations worldwide. The Subway franchise also prides itself in running simple and clean operations.

Dato’ Vincent Choo and his wife Datin Cynthia Cheong.

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All that one needs to know is supported by the operations manual which is continually updated by the Subway headquarters.

How is the brand standing up against other food trends in Malaysia?

Subway is noted as a healthy alternative in the quick serve industry and a preferred choice food when one opts for delicious yet healthier choice of food. The Subway brand was proudly bestowed as a Putra Awards bronze winner in 2014 and a silver winner in the subsequent year. It is a consumer-voted award for brand recognition, which is a significant milestone to the brand.

How does a potential franchisee go about setting his/her outlet?

Like I mentioned before, Subway operations are simple and so is the setup. Generally, selected/successful franchisee will not need to do much as the location will be offered and once the location is confirmed, my team will support on all aspects of renovation.

Franchisees just need to ensure that they are financially and operationsready. We provide operations training

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and other advice needed to support their role as future entrepreneurs.

What kind of support can franchisees expect from you?

We support our franchisees from every aspect of running a business – from location hunting and estaurant construction to operations excellence.

And we continue to support once the restaurant opens by guidance in building sales, customer service and marketing.

In your opinion, why should someone opt for a franchise business instead of a traditional model?

track record with 44,000 locations in more than 102 countries. Subway is the biggest fastfood chain in terms of the number of restaurants in the world and also number one in the United States.

The franchise businesses are mostly proven brands that have worked well and with good track record of running successfully at different places or continents. Therefore, they have a higher success rate of survival which makes them a better choice when one opts to become an entrepreneur.

How do you address certain perceptions attached to the Quick Service industry such as unhealthy menus, low wages, and competition from Fast Casual outlets?

With the F&B industry aiming to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly, does this affect your business and franchise models?

Subway is already noted for its healthier food alternatives, so that will not pose an issue. As our operations are fairly simple and clean, that defuses the perceptions of “hard work” and “low wages”.

Not really. In fact, Subway is constantly improving the quality of its products by making it “clean label” and using more naturally-sourced ingredients. We do hope to work towards ensuring our food meets future needs.

What are the strengths of opting for Subway as opposed to other similar international brands?

It’s a brand that has a 51-year

How does the Subway franchise help keep its costs down? For example, use of automation, technology?

We have an Independent Purchasing Community that helps us to negotiate prices (for better cost control over our products) as well as improve quality.

Plus, with so many restaurants in the world, we are able to negotiate for better equipment and supply costs.

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South Korea’s Best In One Place Korean pop culture has a strong foothold in Malaysia, and with this is mind KIODA has crafted a retail experience featuring an interesting mix of brands and products.

everaging on the popularity of Korean culture and lifestyle in Malaysia, KIODA was unveiled as the first Korean concept store in the country.

The company’s name is inspired by the Korean phrase “gwi yeop da” which means cute. To capture an untapped market here, KIODA has launched almost 20 outlets across the country.

As for the Southeast Asian market, KIODA is planning to open its doors in Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and China where Korean pop culture is gaining popularity among its citizens.

KIODA’s business premise is based on the positive reaction from consumers when presented with attractive, quality and affordable products with a Korean twist. It also relies on consistent theme, decor and references related to Korean pop culture. To bolster its shopping offerings, customers can enjoy K-pop music being played in store. This helps create customer attachment to the brand.

To accelerate KIODA’s expansion of the business and brand growth, the

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company has several partners to adopt its retail concept in other countries outside of the region. Furthermore, consistency of quality in its products is maintained by adopting a central kitchen approach, which includes manufacturing and purchasing. KIODA has its own Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) partner in China, and direct bulk purchasing supplier in South Korea, thus bypassing the ordinary supply chain. The savings from this process is passed on to the consumers.

KIODA has plans to have a centralised warehouse in Malaysia, China and Indonesia to ensure efficiency in production and supply.

Its team of Korean product designers are tasked to keep the product range up-to-date and trendy while providing product blueprints for KIODA’s manufacturing partners in China. This helps to streamline quality while keeping the products reasonably priced.

Among its product range are cosmetics, gifts, stationery and household items, with 100 new items being introduced every quarter of the year. Customers also get to enjoy storewide 70% of the product at RM10 only.

Lastly, the KIODA team consists of young, energetic individuals who are passionate about creating a strong brand and retail experience. They adopt a flat organisational structure focused on quick response time and decision making where everyone’s opinion matters. The team is encouraged to come out with ideas and suggestions as often as possible.

exquisite bags

fashion accessories textile & knitwear

seasonal products

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FASHION

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health & beauty

TEXTILE

DIGITA

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HOME

ACC.

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Standard Operating Manual and Staff Training

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info@kioda.my

COME AND JOIN THE FORCE !

For further information on franchising, please contact:

KIODA MALAYSIA SDN. BHD.

68, Jalan Austin Heights 8/7, Taman Mount Austin, 81100 Johor Bahru.

Tel: +6 07 350 0721 / +6 019 750 3636 (Mr. Alvin) www.kioda.kr Melaka

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Enhancing Customer Experience Grabbing customer attention, increasing in-store engagement, proper communication are key factors needed to drive higher sales in retail.

ver the last few years, Transparency Market Research revealed that there has been a change in transition in retail business structure from local stores to organised chains such as supermarkets and hypermarkets.

The trend is quite prominent in developing regions especially Asia Pacific. These organised chains offer new shopping experience to consumers to get ahead of the competition.

With the robust competition that is going on among retail chain stores, retailers are adopting various strategies to stand ahead of their peers, including innovative and attractive digital displays and signage. For example, free standing display units help in maximising the impact of a product – better product placement, high brand awareness and increased product visibility.

MRCA member Micro-Zone Resources Sdn Bhd offers various solutions in digital printing, video wall, mobile kiosks, projectors, professional mounting and more. Established in 2007, Micro-Zone Resources is a multi-million ringgit organisation whose technologies are designed to be affordable, attractive to deliver a maximum impact on consumers.

In its digital printing solutions, it provides large format buntings, indoor and outdoor banners as well as wall and floor stickers and canvas. It uses the

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new Epson SureColorTMS-Series printers – next generation of high-performance eco-solvent signage printers – that are fitted with myriads of features to meet high expectation and demand.

To create a more visual hook on consumers, retailers can opt for large format LED and video wall display solutions which are available for purchase or rental. LED displays boil down to four points – retailers own the content; message and information are displayed at the lowest cost per exposure; message reaches 100% of foot traffic; and it translates to sales, branding stickiness, product awareness and so on.

For business events, there is no greater impact On Off than using customised video walls.

These screens Before After offer the largest possible viewing area. Apart from picture quality, it Switchable Smart Film

Privacy Glass Malaysia Retailer Vol 4 No 2

comes down to bezel or lines between the screens.

Its programmers, on-site technicians and professional installation crew will ensure the video wall displays does its job exactly like it’s supposed to do.

Each monitor can act independently, providing more opportunities to convey information, or have it configured to work as one giant screen.

Its video wall solutions are installed at control centres of AirAsia, Tenaga Nasional, YES, SingTel and KLIA as well as the IJM sales gallery, TISSOT outlet in Suria KLCC, Sebana Cove Resort gallery in Johor and more.

For retailers that often conduct roadshows and events, Micro-Zone Resources has photo booths, multi touchscreen free standing displays, mobile kiosks for information, floor directory and advertising, projector sales and installation, and professional mounting.

Micro-Zone Resources is also an authorised partner and distributor for major brands such as Samsung, LG, Panasonic, PQ Labs, BTECH Mounts, CreateLED and Epson.

Samsung Mobile Concept Store, The Garden.

On

Plaza Merdeka, Kuching.

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Cash Handling Made Easy Operation inefficiencies often revolves around the open cash drawer and for most business owners they represent a significant loss.

Roine Gabrielsson

anual cash drawers are a common sight in most retail shops and hypermarkets. The system has evolved little, if at all, 110 years after Charles F. Kettering first invented the electric cash register. The POS (pointof-sale) system may have improved on its looks and general functionality, but the manual cash handling pretty much remained the same.

A research by Norwegian company StrongPoint has highlighted several flaws in the open cash drawer system.

Constant counting and recounting of cash and coins is a neverending chore especially for retailers who own multiple stores and cash drawers within those stores.

“Imagine, a large hypermarket with 20 to 40 checkout counters. The chief cashier has to prepare the float for each drawer, this is monitored either to replenish or taken to the bank, spending an average of 20 minutes on each counter. Then the cashier recounts. All these activities has to happen before the hypermart opens its doors,” said StrongPoint SVP and Managing Director for APAC, Roine Gabrielsson.

“Essentially the cashiers are focused on the cash under their care rather than customer service. Instead of

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extending a personalised touch to your customers, they are constantly having to guard the till.”

He pointed out that this practice is not the most efficient use of human resource. Cashiers are having to sit and watch the cash even though there are no customers around, instead of being able to carry out other duties.

Other issues include manual counting leads to expensive discrepancies, and internal and external theft.

“Our surveys show that the same cash is counted up to eight times before it goes into the safe or bank. Staff, including chief cashiers, has to come in early and leave late to ensure everything adds up. To us, this activity ties up a lot of resources that could have been used for revenue-generating purposes. Also missing cash from the till is docked from the cashier’s pay. This isn’t great in terms of job satisfaction.”

This is where StrongPoint’s CashGuard solution comes into play. The system allows retailers to cut the fat

of inefficient operations and re-train its cashiers to be more customer-centric.

The solution comes with a coin recycler, note recycler, note collector and a store manager app. They can be programmed to be a slave to the POS. Its coin recycler is tamper-proof, counts and tracks coins, and an electronic lock that records each opening. Customers can also unload their coins without having to count first as the machine does it automatically.

Meanwhile, the note recycler ensures correct change and tracks levels of all denomination. It is programmed to hold enough float for a day or even a week’s operations.

“We come in for two weeks to survey business activities and come up with an optimum float for our clients so it doesn’t need to be refilled throughout the day.

Now cashiers can work happier without having to worry about missing cash or giving the wrong change.

“There’s no shrinkage or loss and queues can be a third more efficient.

Cashiers can now have the time to smile or promote any of the items stocked near the checkout counters.”

The note collector is designed to secure cash transfer from the recycler to the back office. It also tracks notes and user access. Meanwhile the app allows for online monitoring for each till, restrict access and scalable.

Gabrielsson shared that Cold Storage has implemented the CashGuard solution for about nine months and Parkson’s are in the pilot stage. There are also 25,000 CashGuard systems installed worldwide.

Image: born1945 www.flickr.com

Retail has changed a lot since the 1950s Why do you handle cash the same way?

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+603 2773 4096 info.apac@strongpoint.com Tower 2 Etiqa Twins, 11 Jalan Pinang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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Bagging Success Outside Malaysia As a fashion mainstay in Malaysia for almost 30 years, BONIA Corporation Berhad is a brand worth millions of dollars. In recent years the brand has been stretching its wings beyond Malaysia, in an effort to diversify its business portfolio.

stablished since 1974, BONIA has always prided itself for crafting high quality leather goods that are inspired by the Italian maestros, young and old. It offers a wide range of products, including leather handbags, footwear and accessories for both men and ladies as well as non-leather fashion items such as men’s apparel, timepieces and more.

It has cemented its brand identity in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, with presence in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Brunei, China, Japan, Taiwan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar.

In its last quarterly revenue, ending March 31, 2016, the company posted a revenue of RM162.433 million and the Group’s turnover last year was about RM700 million, proving that its business direction is bearing fruit.

Group Managing Director Datuk Albert Chiang shares some of the challenges he faced when BONIA decided to enter foreign markets.

“It is no doubt that our best market is Malaysia. Although the company was initially based in Singapore, it was moved to Malaysia since it makes up for about 60% of our sales. Singapore is only about 20%, mainly because we face aggressive competition from other luxury brands and a smaller population to boot,” he says.

“We are moving aggressively into Indonesia. One, it is the most populous country in the ASEAN region. Also, we were able to start from a low base,

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Group Managing Director Datuk Albert Chiang.

giving us very high future growth potential. Currently, Indonesia makes up 6-7% of our revenue.”

In opening up new overseas market, Datuk Chiang cites three main business models – direct operations, joint ventures and sole distributorship.

“For a company that is financially strong with sufficient manpower, direct operations is the way to go. In headquarters, you will have complete control over important matter, especially in terms of the direction you want it to go, brand presentation and so on.”

Datuk Chiang says that though boutiques require higher initial set-up costs, the group is able to control the image of the brand better, and it offers slightly higher gross profits than the consignment business.

“As for sole distributorship, headquarters typically provide

backend support to ensure the brand comes across as planned. It can also be support in terms of market research, business know-how, which can be further expanded into possible franchise business.

“Your brand and products must be exceptionally strong. So no matter who runs it, the brand will still shine and growth is sustainable.”

However, he points to joint ventures being the most challenging. He attributes it to finding the right partner to set it up with. He took the joint venture route when BONIA expanded to Indonesia but plans fell through.

Despite that, BONIA took a different route and successfully opened the Indonesian market.

Meanwhile BONIA’s Middle East presence is bolstered by the help of local partners who understand the demands of the market, its business

culture and the challenges that come with it.

The group has also bought a controlling stake of its main competitor, Braun Buffel, from its principal in Germany. Datuk Chiang says buying into your competition is also a good way to leverage on resources.

“I feel (that) investing in good and strong brands is vital. Our Braun Buffel buy has proven to be a wise move.

“An advantage of diversifying your portfolio overseas is so the business can be shielded and remain strong...

It can be resilient to policy changes and economic slowdown in a particular country.”

Apart from physical boutiques around the world, BONIA has recently branched out into online sales where you can get bags, shoes, apparel and timepieces. It is also offering online exclusives for Malaysian shoppers.

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Johor, The Place To Be Malaysia’s southernmost state is undergoing rapid development over the next few years, making it a sought-after destination in the country.

ake no mistake, Johor is coming up quick with mega developments in the pipeline. The Prime Minister has announce in March this year that at least four mega projects will serve as catalysts for the state’s development in the long run.

Forest City, High-Speed Rail, GemasJohor Baru electrified double tracking project and the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex are developments that were designed to spearhead other projects at the state and district levels.

According to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, Johor recorded the highest domestic direct investment approved in the manufacturing sector, accounting for RM27.96 billion, while foreign direct investment approved was RM3.14 billion.

These statistics showed that Johor recorded the highest investment in the manufacturing sector in 2015, totalling RM31.1 billion or 41.6% of the total investment in Malaysia.

To cater to exponential population growth, locals or otherwise, the National Property Information Centre reported Johor recorded the most number of units launched between January and April this year – 8,605 launches. It was predicted that the country will require an

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additional of 666,000 units of houses in accordance with the pyramid-shaped demand by 2025.

In fact, IKEA will invest RM592 million to build its third store in Malaysia, which is located in Tebrau and expected to open at the end of next year. IKEA reportedly said Johor Bahru was chosen because of the state’s rapid development. The company’s investment would create thousands of spin-off opportunities for local service and supply businesses and also jobs.

Now picking a place in Johor Bahru to make it your home can be a daunting task. There are so many projects, designs, sizes and surroundings to choose from. Nestled adjacent to Taman Molek is Ponderosa Woods, 10km from the Johor Bahru City Centre. The Ponderosa development is about five

minutes’ away off the North-South Highway and Pasir Gudang Highway.

Developed by Rawhide Sdn Bhd, the quiet enclave of Ponderosa Woods consist of three-storey semi-detached homes. These beautiful houses are sited on 31 acres of land and as you can imagine, a low density community with convenient access to modern comforts.

Amid the city, Ponderosa Woods’ masterplan reserves up to 40% of green areas with a 24-hour multi-tiered security surrounding the area. More interestingly, it’s back is directly next to the golf and country club. You get to see greenery all around and treeline that surrounds the 18-hole golf course. Residents can leave work behind during the weekends and catch up on some greenery and exercise at the country club.

The houses come in three configurations, Type C, D and E. Each has a land area of 50 x 100 sq ft. The slight difference in each configuration is its built-up area. Each unit espouses a Mediterranean design with CONQUAS workmanship standard. Buyers can expect 5+1 bedrooms, six bathrooms, including high ceiling, “double wall” feature for maximum ventilation, a private garden, beautiful balcony, generous kitchen area and an optional private lift. In addition, Type E is equipped with a lower ground floor, bringing its built-up area to 5,894 sq ft.

Rawhide was born after Kuok Brothers Sdn Bhd entered a joint venture agreement with Lee Pineapple Co (Pte) Ltd and Tai Tak Estate Sdn Bhd group of companies to undertake the development of Taman Redang and Ponderosa Woods.

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Achieving International Standards Pavilion KL CEO believes that quality and point of difference have ensured the premium mall’s success, enough for the group to open two more in Damansara Heights and Bukit Jalil.

mid reports of retail space glut, economic slowdown and the weakening ringgit in Malaysia, the general sentiment is that the retail industry is taking a big hit. Despite that, Pavilion Elite developers Urusharta Cemerlang (KL) Sdn Bhd – a joint venture between Pavilion Group and Qatar Holdings LLC – unveiled the 10-level retail podium in August and set for an official opening in November.

Located adjacent to Pavilion KL, the Pavilion Elite overall integrated project costs RM650 million to build and boasts of a net lettable area of 250,000 sq ft with more than 70 brands featuring fashion, food and beverage, and urban leisure.

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Retail complex manager Kuala Lumpur Pavilion Sdn Bhd CEO Joyce Yap.

Retail complex manager Kuala Lumpur Pavilion Sdn Bhd CEO Joyce Yap credits the success of Pavilion projects to a vibrant tenancy mix. She shared that Pavilion Elite will be housing flagship stores of brands such as Coach, Armani, ABC Cooking Studio, The Planet Traveller, Huawei, Lego, Muji, JD Sports and more.

“In spite of a challenging year for the shopping industry, Pavilion Elite has achieved more than 85% occupancy, a proof that demands towards retail space in Kuala Lumpur in a prime and strategic location in Bukit Bintang is still promising.

“In my opinion, having a healthy relationship with tenants and taking a proactive approach in solving any issues are vital to ensure a win-win situation for the mall and retailers. We want retailers to feel confident to set up their flagship stores with us.

“Our research in Pavilion KL showed that for the past six months foot traffic went down 5% but retailers here reported a 15% increase in sales on a year to year comparison. So, foot traffic shouldn’t be the only measurable metric.”

She used a franchise analogy for her strategy in ensuring retailers under her care do well.

“For example, I’m the franchisor and the retailers are my franchisees.

In essence as a franchisor I want my franchisees to be successful, so I extend help and support in many ways. Success becomes a common goal and money can be made together.

“We conduct a lot of surveys with our retailers, looking at how we can provide support or pinpoint issues that they should improve or look into.”

Yap said to set up Pavilion KL nine years ago, it took 18 months of studies and research while Pavilion Elite took six months. She attributed to the team learning from past challenges hence research took a shorter time.

“We engage an international to conduct these studies for us. To me, statistics can be meaningless if we do not know how to make use of the numbers to assist in tenancy mix and create points of difference.”

She added that international brands see value in opening their flagship stores in Kuala Lumpur, in fact, they

41 are setting up regional and offices here.

Many principles are also operating stores directly now with us.

“This demonstrates their high level of confidence in us. Setting up a flagship and a regional hub are not cheap. It is a significant investment for them. This is a good sign for Malaysia as these international brands bring international professionalism that sometimes are lacking in the local boys. Having said that, local retailers are obviously more committed and well-versed on local culture. They are also more adaptable and are more flexible towards changes.

“Local boys are conscious about costing, rightly so. But they have to invest in some R&D. Leverage on IT development to weed out inefficiencies in cost and daily operations. Also, invest in human resource – find the right people for the right job.

“Fit-out of their stores have to be compatible with the mall and of international standards. Customer service development is vital as well.

Malaysian companies don’t have a very wide gap to bridge. We are getting there.”

On its retail project in Damansara Heights, Yap said, “it will house premium and bespoke brands especially in food and beverage, patrons can expect Michelin-starred restaurants.”

Meanwhile its massive development in Bukit Jalil is positioned as a regional shopping hub. Phase 1 encompasses 1.8 million sq ft with strong international family attractions.

The Bukit Jalil project was unveiled in June and slated for an opening in 2019. Its Damansara Heights development will be launched six months after, scheduled to be in the first quarter of 2020.

In addition to these retail space projects, there is the Royale Pavilion Hotel scheduled for an opening by the second quarter next year. Harmoni Perkasa Sdn Bhd signed a hotel management agreement, in March, with Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts Pte Ltd. Developed at a cost of some RM330 million, the 12-storey hotel featuring 337 rooms – 233 standard rooms, 71 deluxe rooms, 32 suites and 1 presidential suite – across a gross floor area of 370,000 square feet. It is a culmination and the finale of the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

Ho Kwon Ping, Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings Ltd; Datuk Seri Haji Mohd Amin Nordin Abd. Aziz, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur; Des Pugson, Managing Director of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts Pte. Ltd.; Datuk Seri Utama Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Minister of Federal Territories; Dato Lee Tuck Fook, Director of Harmoni Perkasa Sdn. Bhd.; Puan Sri Cindy Lim, Director of Harmoni Perkasa Sdn. Bhd at the signing ceremony of the hotel management agreement for Royale Pavilion Hotel.

Integrated Development consisting of Pavilion KL Mall, Pavilion Tower and Pavilion Residences Kuala Lumpur.

It also coincides with the signing of an addendum for the Banyan Tree Signatures Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

To maximise building efficiency, the original planned 50-room hotel is now increased to 150-room. Standing elegant and tall at 59 storeys and approximately 300m high, this five-star hotel is scheduled for opening in the second quarter of 2017. A private link bridge to Pavilion Kuala Lumpur also offers its

hotel guests a world class shopping experience and conveniences.

In total, Royale Pavilion Hotel and Banyan Tree Signatures Pavilion Hotel Kuala Lumpur will add close to 500 new five-star hotel rooms in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur. These new hotels are expected to provide more than 900 job opportunities within the Malaysian hospitality industry. These hotels will bear the unique Sanctuary for the Senses style of service and brand experiences for which Banyan Tree is known the world over.

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ZÉLL-V Wellness Hub Unveiled ZÉLL-V Wellness Hub officially opened recently, marking another milestone for Ruyi Holdings Sdn Bhd, a leader in the health and wellness industry.

Opening ceremony of ZELL-V Wellness Hub.

he event was attended by guest-of-honour Deputy Minister of Tourism and Culture Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin who represented the Minister of Tourism and Culture Malaysia Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, Director General of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, President of the Malaysian Retail Chain Association (MRCA) Dato’ Garry Chua, ZÉLL-V brand ambassadors Dato’ Elaine Kang, as well as ZÉLL-V’s partners, associates, doctors and customers from various countries.

Located within Taman Seputeh between Mid Valley and KL Sentral, the ZÉLL-V Wellness Hub aims to create a culture of health by emphasising on daily health maintenance and prevention, rather than medical intervention or treatment.

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From left: Dr. Majezan Yaacob, Medical Director of V Wellness; Dato’ Elaine Kang, Ambassador of ZELL-V, Dato’ Sharon Foong, Managing Director of Ruyi Group; Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, DirectorGeneral of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board; Datuk Seri Nelson Kwok, CoFounder of V Eternal Wellness, Mr. Chia Theng Xi, Director of Ruyi Group and Michael Wey, General Manager of Ruyi Group.

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Founder and Managing Director of Ruyi Holdings Dato’ Sharon Foong said various medical research have shown that optimal health cannot be achieved by the use of one product or medical technology.

“This is the reason we establish ZÉLL-V Wellness, where we consolidated various resources to provide you with holistic care to help you achieve body, mind and soul balance,” said Foong who hopes to spread the ZÉLL-V health culture throughout the country and the world.

Comprising 15 floors, ZÉLL-V Wellness Hub provides a series of comprehensive services including health screenings, detox treatments, cellular therapies, skin and bust treatments, V Wellness comprehensive high-tech health clinic, Sompoton Spa, The Om Stay meditation retreat, Hairworx scalp and hair care

centre, Kimporo Postnatal Rejuvenation, Olmeca Talent House, Baby Atelier child brain development and education centre, and Ketuhar Malaysian fine dining restaurant, among others.

Dato’ Sharon Foong (Managing Director of Ruyi Group) presented souvenirs to Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, Director-General of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board.

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Advancing Down South As part of President Dato’ Garry Chua’s push to expand MRCA’s reach, a delegation spent two intense days visiting various areas that are undergoing massive development in Johor as well as the overseeing of the setting up of a southern chapter for the association.

alaysia’s southern state is going through a development renaissance after the Iskandar masterplan was unveiled about 10 years ago. While Johor Bahru remains the charming state capital city, developers, both local and international, have invested heavily in property, construction, petrochemical, food and agro-processing, tourism, healthcare, education, business services and so forth.

Earlier this year the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda) reported that Iskandar Malaysia was well on track as it had achieved 48% of its target of attracting RM383 billion of committed investments from 2006 to 2025 and 50%t of the RM187.96 billion has materialised. Irda is expecting the creation of 817,500 jobs by 2025 and the region is projected to have a three million population. This figures bode well for the retail industry as the market is forecasted to grow exponentially, translating into firm demand for consumer goods.

One of Iskandar’s five flagship zones, Nusajaya, known as Zone B or Iskandar Puteri, will be housing the state’s new administrative centre in Kota Iskandar and poised to face a tourism boom anchored

by Legoland. It also has Medini Iskandar Malaysia, EduCity, a medical hub, an industrial logistics cluster and residences in its vicinity.

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1 Medini Iskandar Mah Sing Group Berhad’s Medini Iskandar vision is for the urban township to iconic building designs and peopleoriented public spaces. The masterplan segregates it into six zones that encompass infrastructure (30.21%), commercial (29.51%), residential (14.59%), green areas (13.32%), mixed-use development (9.12%) and community spaces (3.25%).

It happened to be the MRCA delegation’s first stop in Johor. Greeted by Mah Sing Group General Manager (Commercial) Tan Chen Aik and his well-prepared team, the delegation was introduced to Medini’s flagship mixed development called The Meridin.

The 8.19-acre development fronts the main thoroughfare of Jalan Pesisir Pantai-Johor Bahru into Kota Iskandar and just five minutes away from Legoland Malaysia, Medini Business and EduCity, 10 minutes from the Tuas Second Link and 30 minutes from the Senai International Airport.

Its two-phase integrated development has a gross development value (GDV) of RM1.1 billion. Not to mention, it is near Puteri Harbour, Pinewood Studios and Gleneagle Hospital.

The Meridin’s Phase 1 development consists of three residential blocks and a retail complex dubbed Meridin Walk.

Some 90% of its residential units known as Meridin Suites Residences are sold and slated for completion in 2017.

Block A, B and C have 35, 32 and 36 storeys respectively, with a total of 756 units while four-level Meridin Walk houses 188 retail shops. After the handover process, the mall will be run by a management company. It is aiming to have a good tenant mix and 40% of its 184,000 square feet of lettable space have be taken up. Each unit ranges from 200 to 2,000 square feet, selling for RM1,300 to RM1,500 per square feet.

Meanwhile, Phase 2 consists of Meridin Linx, which is a 35-storey with 583 SOVO (Small Office, Versatile Office) units with a leaseback option. Tower B and C (Ramada Meridin and Ramada Encore) are 27-storeys beauty with 322 units in each

tower. It was launched last year and 80% of the units were snapped up. The suites come in three configurations – studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom.

The hospitality suites will be run by the Ramada Group, which has a great track record managing properties across Asia and the Americas. Mah Sing’s Tan highlighted that these properties are popular investments among international buyers as the area has no price limitations and restrictions for foreign owners.

At the end of the tour, MRCA members could see for themselves the rapid development that is occurring in Nusajaya, gauging their interests to invest in the retail industry there. Many have said that such face-to-face visits are more helpful in determining their companies’ investments.

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2 Meridin East The MRCA delegation was then led to Mah Sing Group’s largest township project in Johor – 1,313-acre Meridin East in Pasir Gudang, which is located in Iskandar’s Flagship Zone D. Espousing one of Iskandar’s aim to create highly liveable residences, Meridin East has a 50m-long natural lake, which is named Mulberry Lake, nestled within 110 acres of reserve land planted with thousands of native trees.

Mah Sing reported that the township has a gross development value of RM5 billion and will be fully developed over the next 12 to 15 years, segmented into five phases.

Currently, its first phase is known as The Greenway, consisting 492 units with built-up areas from 1,595 sq ft to 1,648 sq ft and four bedrooms. These units are priced from RM357,000 onwards and will be ready by the first quarter of 2018. Phase 2 is called Eden, which is priced from RM453,000 for 2,033 square feet double-storey homes.

To further bolstered this milestone project, Mah Sing Group has invested RM30 million for its sales gallery which will be converted into the township’s community clubhouse over the next three to five years.

As the MRCA delegation arrived at the sales gallery, they were greeted by the serene Mulberry Lake which is right at its doorstep. To introduce Meridin East to prospective buyers, Mah Sing Group has adopted a 3D visualisation technology, NeoTour.

Buyers can tour the project and enter each and every corner or the houses, facilities, and surroundings.

It was reported that Johor Mentri Besar Dato’ Mohamed

3 i-Parc@Tanjung Pelepas Lastly, Mah Sing Group presented its ongoing industrial park project known as i-Parc@Tanjung Pelepas. It is located about 15 minutes from The Meridin@Medini in Zone C, just 1km from the Tanjung Pelepas port.

With its strategic location, it is suited for retail businesses that move their cargo via the port, connecting both Malaysian and Singaporean markets. Within i-Parc, there will be semidetached and detached factory units as well as three-storey shop offices. Its units possess a modern facade with a wide central driveway for easy logistics.

Its factory units are designed to house a warehouse, showroom, office and manufacturing floor. For retailers with shops in the Iskandar region, this suits as a regional hub that services the southern corridor and Singapore.

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Khaled Nordin hailed Meridin East’s masterplan that provided affordable houses, commercial lots, a wide range of amenities along with lush greenery.

Mah Sing Group’s foresight to develop the eastern side of Iskandar Malaysia will be rewarded after a proposal by the state government to set up a water taxi service between Johor and Singapore.

The suggested water taxi, a public transportation between Kong Kong and the Changi Ferry Terminal in Singapore, is expected to encourage migration to eastern Johor. At the moment it takes about two hours between Pasir Gudang and Singapore via the Causeway, while the water taxi is estimated to only take up 20 minutes per trip.

Meridin East is easily connected via the Senai-Desaru Expressway and Pasir Gudang Highway. In the foreseeable future, the demand for residential and commercial lots as well as retailers will shoot up boosted by Pengerang and Desaru being developed as tourism, and oil and gas hubs.

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4 Forest City Much of the morning was spent exploring the multi-billion ringgit Forest City, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib Razak in March this year and jointly launched by Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar. Also present was Yang Guoqiang, founder and chairman of Country Garden – China’s property developer giant.

Worth RM450 billion, it is a joint venture project by Country Garden Holdings (60%) and Johor’s Esplanade Danga 88 – a holding largely owned by Sultan Ibrahim. THe project is given duty-free zone status with a plethora tax incentives.

In a nutshell, Forest City is an ambitious undertaking.

Spread over 1,386 hectares and four man-made islands along the Johor Straits and adjacent to Singapore’s Tuas Second Link, it is expected to be a smart city with “lush vertical greenery covered with dense foliage” supported by highly-efficient public transport and “sustainable and renewable energy infrastructures”.

Its glossy marketing materials painted it as a “place of wonder” with “crystal blue skies and the sounds of nature” and a “blooming boulevard of flowers in a vehicle-less environment”. During its impressive presentation, MRCA members were shown beautiful conceptual artwork that shows towers draped with green plants, surrounded by beaches and beautiful seas.

The first phase comprises 482 condo units and 132 serviced apartments. Slated for completion in two years, it is almost sold out. Average prices are from about RM500,000 for a 517

square feet studio to RM3.54 million for a 1,862 sq ft fourbedroom unit, comparable to those in Iskandar Puteri.

In its masterplan it boasts of a railway system above ground, connecting the city while roads, flyovers and parking space are underground, keeping the surface areas free from vehicles. Other plans in the pipeline is a highway connecting to the Tuas Link and 24-hour shuttle bus service to and from Singapore specially for Forest City residents.

In terms of commerce activities, it is hoped that the city will attract leading enterprises and talents from sectors such as tourism, MICE, healthcare, education and training, e-commerce, emerging technology and green industry.

As for education, the developer has signed an MOU with Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, a renowned educator in the US to set up in Forest City, offering international education from kindergarten to high school. Meanwhile another MOU was signed with the US’ fourth largest medical group, UIW/Christus to ensure world class medical services to residents.

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Marrybrown Being one of the oldest MRCA members, a visit to Johor is not complete without stopping by Marrybrown. Established as the first local fast-food brand in 1981, the company has since become a Malaysian pride in the international franchise industry.

This jewel is currently the world’s largest Halal Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) brand originating from Asia, with 130 outlets in Malaysia, and more than 350 restaurants in China, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Africa, the Middle East and Myanmar.

Its Founder and Chairman Dato’ Lawrence Liew and wife Nancy, Business Director Michael Liew and their team hosted a luncheon at its headquarters in Johor Bahru with the MRCA delegation while sharing their success stories and future plans.

The MRCA delegation got to try for themselves a variety of Marrybrown’s signature items and no doubt it garnered thumbs up from everyone.

It was revealed that Dato’ Lawrence himself travels to various international locations across the globe to survey the best places for the business to set up a franchise environment.

Not one resting on his laurels, talks are ongoing with Shell Malaysia to house Marrybrown outlets in its bigger petrol stations in the country. The company also has a standing collaboration with Mydin and Tesco Malaysia to be the only fast-food brand in its premises.

Its Business Director credited Marrybrown’s success is the ability to tailor local delicacies in its menu, for example, durian balls. The highly localised menu items such as Nasi Marrybrown, Mi Kari Ayam Goreng and Nasi Kari are a big hit among its customers.

Michael also said Marrybrown has the franchise model refined to the a tee. Its franchisees are heavily supported with behind-the-scenes support, in terms of staff training, outlet set up, financial advice, product inventory and delivery and so on, as well as backed by its popularity as a household brand.

Members of the MRCA delegation had the opportunity to gain insights into the franchise model and speak to Dato’ Lawrence himself about his ups and downs running a fast-food empire.

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6 Johor Premium Outlet The last leg of the trip was a visit to the Johor Premium Outlet (JPO), which houses 130 stores bearing brands such as Aigner, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Burberry, Canali, Coach, Ermenegildo Zegna, Furla, Guy Laroche, Michael Kors, Polo Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo, Swatch, Tumi and more.

The MRCA delegation was given a short tour of its grounds and numerous facilities. One of the JPO’s selling point is the outlet stores are offering savings from 25-65% daily, and it is a hit with Singaporean and Chinese tourists as well as local visitors.

“This trip has been an eyeopener for me and those unfamiliar with Johor.

Apart from networking with MRCA members based here, we get to see for ourselves where the projects are located in relation to each other. It gives us a great experience and we get to take the information we got from this trip back to our HQ for further business planning.”

– Anne Tan, Founder CEO & Wen Chiam, Director, Neubodi Holdings Sdn Bhd.

“MRCA members are the first visitors to our sales gallery in Meridin East. In my opinion, the development of a new township affects business strategy. It is good for the members to experience the environment for themselves as opposed to viewing it on a computer or a brochure. With this visit, we can exchange ideas and further gauge the needs of the business community. This way, we can enhance our planning for current and future developments.”

– Tan Chen Aik, General Manager (Commercial), Mah Sing Group Berhad.

Conclusion After a whirlwind trip down south, it is evident that Johor as a business hub serves as a gateway to Singapore, in extension to the world, especially now that development is going at a rapid pace.

MRCA members can see for themselves the current and future needs of Johor and its residents, international and local, which in turn add much-needed value in their short-and long-term business plans.

Beneficial trips such as this allows members to meet and interact closely with industry players in the state, which they could not have done so in such a short duration, had they went on their own. This is yet another powerful incentive MRCA provides for its members on a long-term basis.

“It has been a fruitful experience for me. I get to understand the business environment a little better. It is always good to join the MRCA delegation, which allows me to visit many places and meet various people effectively. I don’t think I’ll be able to do the same if I were to come to Johor alone. It is inspiring to see how far Johor has progressed. I’m impressed. See the upcoming developments can give us a leg up in the competition. I hope MRCA can organise such trips more frequently.”

– Dato’ Michael Lim, Managing Director & CEO, Vinsoon Group.

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Your Friendly Neighbourhood Mall Shopping centre operator thrives on managing properties outside the Klang Valley.

ndoubtedly visiting shopping centres is fast becoming the number pastime in Malaysia. Malls within the Klang Valley are often behemoths with shops stretching as far as the eye can see. It’s populated with international and local retailers offering highly unique products.

However the retail landscape outside the Klang Valley is a little different.

Sure, Malaysians still like to escape the confines of their houses and the tropical heat, heading straight to the nearest mall. But the tenancy mix and product offerings are a little different.

In smaller cities and towns, malls that address the necessary needs is vital than setting itself up as a shopping destination for tourists afar.

For retailers to be profitable they need to fulfil demands that are more basic while keeping prices affordable to the suburban folk.

One of the mall developer that does it well is Mall of Malaysia Sdn Bhd. It

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describes itself as an award-winning retail developer specialising in creating lifestyle malls catering to everyone from youths to families. According to the company, each of its malls is designed as a one-stop concept, featuring great shopping experience, sumptuous dining and family entertainment, all in one place.

Currently Mall of Malaysia manages the Kota Bharu Mall, Batu Pahat Mall, Alor Star Mall, KTCC Mall and Taiping Mall located in Kelantan, Johor, Kedah, Terengganu and Perak respectively. In the pipeline are SB Mall in Sungai Buloh and BM City Mall in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

In total these malls represent more than 3.5 million sq ft of lettable area.

Tenants in these malls are from various categories such as hypermarkets, departmental stores, fashion and jewellery, food and beverage, beauty, healthcare, IT, electrical goods, leisure, entertainment and more.

Locations with demographics most

fitting to the company’s business model are crucial. Population of approximately 350,000 and above is the most ideal. These malls offer spillover effects to the socio-economic ecosystem of these towns.

The malls has contributed to the domestic economic growth over the years, including job opportunities, domestic entrepreneurs, uplift standard of living and providing an avenue for residents to seek entertainment and purchase goods.

Mall of Malaysia’s first mall is the KB Mall located in the bustling CBD of Kota Bharu. Opened in 2004, the mall’s facade has long since become a familiar landmark for both locals and tourists alike. It remains as one of the city’s most visited malls. It features more than 300 tenants spread across five floors, from retail, food to wholesome family fun.

Another successful property under its wing is the Taiping Mall. It is set in the bustling heart of Taiping town with more than 400,000 sq ft of retail space and amenities in the ninestorey building. It is located within walking distance from the Taiping Bus & Taxi Terminal, easily reachable by public transport, and surrounded by established developments comprising commercial, industrial and residential properties.

By targeting the needs of those outside the Klang Valley, Mall of Malaysia has a great formula working in its favour.

THE LANDMARK ONE-STOP SHOPPING MALL DESTINATION IN MALAYSIA

Mall Of Malaysia Group: Fulfilling the needs of retailers in Malaysia.

Creating one-stop shopping havens across Malaysia.

HYPERMARKET & DEPARTMENTAL STORE

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IT & ELECTRICAL

BEAUTY & HEALTH CARE

Mall of Malaysia Group is the creator of landmark one-stop shopping malls in Malaysia. The Group portfolio of assets include, seven shopping malls conveniently located across seven states in Peninsular Malaysia.

The seven malls are KB Mall in Kelantan, Alor Star Mall in Kedah, Batu Pahat Mall in Johor, Taiping Mall in Perak, KTCC Mall in Terengganu, SB Mall in Selangor and BM City Mall in Penang. This impressive portfolio has a net lettable area of over 3.5 million square feet.

The group owns, develops, manages and leases prime retail properties to prominent national retail brands in Malaysia. Primarily, all the malls are strategically located in the central business district area of the city centre of each respective state. These various malls were built with the objective to provide convenient and sophisticated one-stop shopping mall destinations in Malaysia. The retail tenants and anchor tenants in these malls are made up of an array of reputable brand leaders in the retail industry.

Tenants represent from a variety of categories including hypermarket and departmental store, fashion and jewellery, cafĂŠs and restaurants, beauty and healthcare, I.T. and electrical, leisure and entertainment and others. In a bid to support small to medium entrepreneurs, Mall of Malaysia Group invites these businesses into the malls to promote local and traditional wearable and consumable products to shoppers and tourists.

In the near future, there are plans to open more one-stop shopping malls in other states. The Taiping Mall in Perak will open in 2014 and KTCC Mall in Terengganu is all set to open in 2016. Mall of Malaysia Group is working towards being the largest developer of one-stop shopping malls in Malaysia, with more plans in the pipeline to build and operate more landmark shopping malls all over Malaysia.

For Leasing Enquiries, Please Contact @ Mr David We (+6012-331 5058) Mr William Tang (+6012-319 8219)

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Tel: +603-7960 3219 ext 105 Fax: +603-7960 3218 Email: leasing@mallofmalaysia.com.my Website: www.mallofmalaysia.com.my

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Gastronomic Delight Sanoook unveils its delectable Thai-Japanese menu and new outlet.

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anoook is the first F&B concept in town inspired by Thai and Japanese cuisines.

It uses authentic Thai recipes from the company’s flagship restaurant Chakri Palace with a twist of creative presentation and Japanese favourites.

‘Sanook’ or ‘sanuk’ means ‘fun’ or ‘syiok’ in Bahasa Malaysia but here it is presneted with an extra ‘o’ to denote a circle of friends or endless camaraderie.

By chance, ‘San’ in Japanese is an honorific title equivalent to Mr, Mrs or Miss.

The brand under the Rotol Group held a celebration to mark the opening of its first restaurant in Sunway Pyramid Hotel West.

Rotol Food-Chain (M) Sdn Bhd director Caleen Chua said, “The essence of Sanoook is reflected in our tagline: A good meal can make strangers turn into friends, strengthen friendships and bring solace to a bad day.”

“We use authentic Thai recipes from the company’s flagship restaurant Chakri Palace, then add a twist of creative presentation and Japanese favourites to our dishes.

“We’re hoping to appeal to young and adventurous foodies who are willing to try something new and unusual.”

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Tapping into the current food trend of yakitori, Sanoook has created its very own version of Thai skewers – Massaman Chicken, Green Curry Beef, Sweet Chili Salmon and Sanoook Vegetable.

If skewers aren’t enough to tempt you, Sanoook’s Sushi burgers and Sushi rolls will. Burger lovers can enjoy four different types of Sushi Burgers with gourmet patties of Chicken, Beef, Salmon and Soft-shell Crab. All sushi burgers come with a basketful of crispy burdock root chips, a healthier, less guilty indulgence.

“Instead of burger buns, the patties are sandwiched between sushi rice-buns.

“We offer four kinds of patties served with their own sauces, such as Soft Shell Crab with Thai Mango Chilli Sauce and Beef with Thai Roasted Rice Sauce,” said Chua.

The Tuna sushi with Tom Yam sauce is a surprisingly complementary combination for adventurous taste buds as is the crispy Soft Shell Crab sushi with Thai Mango Chili sauce.

For dessert lovers, the Thai Volcano (tea-flavoured shaved ice with pearls

and almond flakes), Samurai Green Tea (green tea creme brulee with butter cookies) and Red Ruby water chestnut are set to tantalise taste buds.

Officially launched on September 2, 2016, Sanoook was officiated by Thailand Ambassador, H.E. Damrong Kraikruan and Japanese rock star Gackt.

The creative and colourful opening ceremony saw 120 guests tucking in Thai and Japanese delicacies.

Chua shared that the company was

already looking at opening two other Sanoook restaurants – at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur by the end of November and The Starling, Damansara Uptown, in March next year.

Its first outlet, accommodating 180 people, is at Sunway Pyramid Hotel West Annexe, an extension of the main Sunway Pyramid Mall. Opening hours are 10am to 11pm, Mondays to Thursdays, 10am to 1am on Fridays and weekends.

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BearInBag’s Loyalty Partnership Kaching Network Sdn Bhd has announced its collaboration with I Synergy Holdings Bhd that will enable the 2.2 million members of MyKad Smart Shopper (MSS) to redeem loyalty cash points online on Kaching’s new e-commerce platform – BearInBag.

SS is a loyalty programme by iSYNERGY’s subsidiary company, I Synergy International (M) Sdn Bhd that uses MyKad as its member identification. The programme has more than 1,000 participating merchants in Malaysia with products and services ranging from fashion, beauty, electronics, food, lifestyle products to entertainment.

BearInBag is a new online shopping platform that offers deals in fashion, technology and lifestyle products with merchants such as Focus Point, Bagman, The Travel Store and more.

“With BearInBag, we are entering a very exciting e-commerce market that is expected to have strong growth in the coming years. Through the synergistic partnership with iSYNERGY, we hope we can advance BearInBag’s penetration into this market and at the same time, benefit both MSS and BearInBag members by giving them an additional avenue to enjoy smart savings through online purchases,” said Datuk Lee Hwa Cheng, CEO of Kaching Network Sdn Bhd.

M

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Meanwhile, MRCA President Dato’ Garry Chua, who was also present at the signing ceremony, lauded the partnership between the two MRCA members as being able to help promote the expansion of the retail industry by providing retailers with an easy and convenient platform to venture into e-commerce, while encouraging savings for consumers under a strong loyalty programme.

Lee added, “We are the first e-commerce website in Malaysia that incorporates an established loyalty program that already has a huge membership base. In addition, by integrating our system with MSS, BearInBag is the first and only online redemption channel for MSS members who previously can only spend their MSS cash points offline at MSS merchants’ outlets”.

MSS members who make online purchases on BearInBag’s platform will be able to redeem their loyalty cash points by simply keying in their MSS identification during the BearInBag user registration process.

Dato’ Lawrence Teo, CEO of iSYNERGY said, “Kaching is an excellent partner to help advance our efforts in bringing online shopping to MSS members and enabling them to enjoy rewards and savings both online and offline with an interconnected loyalty programme. By combining the strength of our loyalty programme with Kaching’s retail and technology expertise, I am confident that we will be able to revolutionise the e-commerce experience for both MSS and BearInBag members.”

The security deposit of RM1,200 required for each new MSS merchant will also be waived for up to 500 MRCA retailers when they register as a BearInBag merchant.

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Reinforcing Ties With Malaysian Media On September 7, the MRCA hosted a delightful afternoon with the nation’s members of the press at the brand new The St Regis Kuala Lumpur hotel.

More than 120 media guests and event sponsors graced the high-tea that was held to foster better relationships and promote good rapport between MRCA members and the respective media houses.

“We are aware of the important and crucial role the media plays, and MRCA recognises and appreciates the admirable job performed by our media friends,” said MRCA President Dato’ Garry Chua.

He added that articles written by media practitioners have helped towards increasing the awareness of important issues related to the retail and franchising industry. The media event was part of his Six-Point Action Plan since he took over the council leadership

Shirley Tay, MRCA Vice President and Organising Chairlady.

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in April. He shared that more of such engagement and exchange of ideas with the media will be organised in the future.

Citing an example on how joining MRCA is beneficial, Dato’ Chua said the association is helping their members through various programmes to further boost their revenue, one of it is the MIRF exhibition.

“Exhibitions like the Malaysia International Retail, Franchise and Licensing Fair provide exposure to the companies and introduce their products to potential decision makers locally and internationally. This also gives them the opportunity for franchising.

“At the same time, brands are also

going online, expanding from their physical store. It is all about how we can generate new ideas and businesses.”

After his opening speech, Organising Chairlady and MRCA Vice-President Shirley Tay took to the stage. She lauded Dato’ Chua’s plan to encourage meaningful interaction with the media.

“This is a golden opportunity for our esteemed guests and invitees to take a break from their busy schedules and foster closer relationships with one another. The occasion also takes interaction and existing cordial ties with mutual confidence, respect and trust between our sponsors, members and guests to a new level.

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Deputy President Raises Issue Of Oversupply Of Malls During a question-and-answer session at the media engagement high-tea, MRCA Deputy President Valerie Choo has highlighted the retail space glut in Malaysia. She told guests that the number of shopping centres is likely to grow between 2017 and 2018 and this would strain the retailers’ margins.

“There will be more than 50% increase in mall space in Klang Valley (once the new ones are ready). This can be tough on the retailers.” She has suggested that the Government temporarily freeze issuing licences for new malls in Klang Valley to curb the oversupply of retail space.

“I urge developers to be extra careful when planning mall projects as those that are too near each other will cannibalise retailers’ sales.” Choo pointed to Indonesia, that a temporary freeze on mall developments have countered oversupply. She also urged the Government to spur the tourism industry to help boost sales of retailers in malls.

“The tourists can take advantage of the weaker ringgit.

“The media helps us to get pertinent information and has a hand in forming public opinions on various issues. It also help MRCA members to disseminating information to a wider audience.

The media’s importance cannot be understated.”

MRCA also took the opportunity to exchange a Memorandum of Understanding with MasterCard,

It will help to increase spending in shopping centres.”

She also shared that retailers can no longer depend on direct, hardcore advertising to lure customers. Customers are always on the look out for something fresh, different and attention-grabbing hence retailers have to be extra vigilant in having a flexible business model to meet that need, she said.

Choo touched on her Budget 2017 wishlist.

“Retailers often have concerns that the Government can help to address. Tax relief and incentives will be helpful to alleviate our spending especially on refurbishment. The Government can also relax the quota on foreign workers for the retail and service sectors as we are facing an acute shortage in the talent pool.”

marking a five-year strategic collaboration between the two parties.

This partnership will see MRCA’s 20,000 member outlets benefit from the knowledge and expertise in innovative payment technology by MasterCard, including contactless payment technology that is expected to boost transactions while reducing the cost of cash handling.

The high-tea did not end there.

Members of the press were treated to a lucky draw where everyone received a prize, ranging from air tickets to London and Melbourne, massage products, jewellery, healthcare items, dining vouchers, and many more.

Representatives of the media houses also received a certificate of appreciation from the MRCA Council, further extending goodwill with the guests.

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Bringing Innovative Payment Systems To Local Retailers Mastercard and MRCA recently announced a five-year collaboration to enhance payments capability and technology among member companies during an MoU exchange at the St Regis Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

The strategic partnership will see Mastercard sharing its knowledge and expertise in payment technology such as contactless payment system.

According to a study by Mastercard, unique numbers of consumers in Asia Pacific are embracing contactless payments, with a year-on-year growth of 49% from 2014.

This collaboration will push Malaysia towards a cashless society, increasing card terminals from 220,000 to 800,000 over the next five years.

Mastercard is also eager to include a chip-and-pin mandate into its contactless payment systems.

“We are pleased to embark on a collaboration with MRCA to offer simple, safe and smart e-payment propositions to help retailers and merchants grow and support them as they are increasingly going digital. These propositions are vital in providing a safe and secured infrastructure for payment

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transactions and also in helping them boost operational efficiencies,” said Perry Ong, Country Manager for Malaysia and Brunei, Mastercard.

MRCA President Dato’ Garry Chua added, “We are delighted to have Mastercard on board as one of our corporate sponsors and preferred partner as we can leverage on the growing understanding of the safety and convenience of electronic payments, which have convinced more consumers to upgrade from paper to plastic.”

Through this collaboration, contactless payments provide a vast opportunity to boost purchasing transactions and momentum across more than 310 of MRCA’s retail chain operators while reducing cost of cash handling with its payment convenience and security with a simple tap at any contactless-enabled payment terminal.

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Mrca Rally For Good Health In an effort to heighten awareness on good health and wellness, the MRCA had co-organised a blood donation as well as a health and safety campaign at Dewan Komuniti Oncidium, Kota Kemuning on August 12 and 13.

With support from Mega Fortris Group, Lions Club of KL Bukit Kiara, Shah Alam City Council and Residents Representative Council for Zone 12, the organisers hoped to build wider public awareness on voluntary blood donation and the importance of good health and general safety.

Organising chairman Edison Choon said the event was a first by MRCA and it was a great opportunity to provide free health services to the public.

MRCA deputy president Valerie Choo had expressed that the blood donation drive would bring to light the urgent need of local hospitals for blood supply.

She said MRCA members and the public would be made more aware

of such needs and looked forward to similar events in the future.

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver,” she said.

Other than voluntary blood donation, the public were provided with health screenings for: sight, hearing, oral, BMI, diabetes, cholesterol and more.

To encourage exercise, there were Zumba sessions for the public to pick up some moves, and fun archery trials.

As for safety knowledge, there were demonstrations on fire safety awareness on both days. The young children were also occupied with a colouring competition organised by the city council.

More than 2,000 people turned up for the two-day event and among organisations that extended their help were Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Klang, Sri Kota Specialist Medical Centre, Beacon International Medical Centre, Pusat Sumber Transplan Nasional Hospital, New Sound Hearing Healthcare, Captivate Sdn Bhd, St. Tiew Dental Group, St. John Ambulance Malaysia, Limbs for Life, Eureka Archery

Club, Eversafe Extinguisher Sdn Bhd and Good Morning Global Sdn Bhd. Choon thanked MRCA members who actively contributed their services, including Focus Point Vision Care Group, Pathlab, Maycare, MyOrtho, AIA, Kluang Station, 99 Speedmart, KK Supermart, BP Healthcare, Nelson’s Franchise, BMS Organics and Transtel Technology.

Among the guests who attended the launch ceremony were Special Assistant to Selangor Menteri Besar’s Press Secretary Tuan Kamarulzaman, Sri Muda assemblyman Shuhaimi Shafiei, Mega Fortris Malaysia Group CEO Adrian Ng and immediate past district governor of Lions Club Lim Hoe Guan and support staff of MRCA member companies.

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Tee Off For Good Cause

Spurred by last year’s successful charity golf event, MRCA is highly enthusiastic about this year’s edition. It will be held at the Glenmarie Golf Club on October 22, 2016. Her Royal Highness Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah is invited as the special guest of honour to this year’s instalment.

After the tournament is over, there will be a prizegiving ceremony for the skilful winners. Attendees will get to participate in side-events such as lucky draw and a charity auction.

Event held at Kota Permai Golf and Country Club drew 132 business luminaries and funds collected were channelled to scholarship programmes for staff and family members of MRCA and the Malaysia SME community at SEGi University and Colleges.

Some RM100,000 as raised last year and scholarship recipients will receive their funds at this year’s event.

Meanwhile, the funds that will be raised this year will be contributed to various charitable causes.

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Photos: Rumah Amal Limpahan Kasih

Mrca Brings Raya Cheer To Children’s Home With the setting up of the MRCA Branding Education Charity Foundation in 2011, the association makes it a tradition to carry out visits and donations to charitable homes during the festive season.

On June 28, in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri, MRCA members brought festive cheer to children at the Rumah Amal Limpahan Kasih in Puchong.

The Foundation donated RM10,000 worth of goods comprising groceries and electrical goods to ease upkeep and maintenance of the home while MRCA distributed duit raya to the children to lift their spirits during the festive season.

The home also received food items, creative art books, gift hampers, scented gel, mosquito coils and the children’s favourite, chocolates.

Aside from being a welfare home for

orphans and children from poor families, the home also provides monthly grocery support to single mothers in its the neighbourhood.

Through this visit, MRCA hopes to bring about awareness of the home’s needs and encourage MRCA members to do more good.

Among the members who helped bring laughter to the children were MRCA Honorary Lifetime President and MRCA Foundation Chairman Dato’ Tay Sim Kim, MRCA Honorary Lifetime President and MRCA Foundation Trustee Datuk Albert Chiang, MRCA President and MRCA Foundation Trustee Dato’ Garry Chua and council members.

The home was established in January 2007 on a plot of private land, and a few old buildings there were refurbished to serve as a hostel and learning centre.

With the help and support of many parties, the home managed to buy a few land lots nearby to build a better welfare and education complex for its young residents.

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Elegant 24th Celebration MRCA is having its annual and prestigious anniversary dinner and Crown Awards presentation on October 12, 2016. About 1,000 guests comprising influential figures in the retail industry are expected to attend the glamorous event at The Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Themed “Opulence & Enchantment”, the night will be graced

by Tourism and Culture Minister Dato’ Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz.

In conjunction with anniversary celebrations, MRCA will be presenting the Crown Awards to SMEs who display excellent business practices, innovative ventures and notable achievements.

The Awards not only bear witness to the recipients’ grit and business acumen, but also their spirit of entrepreneurship.

The categories for the Crown Awards are: • Outstanding Innovation Award • Outstanding Noble Initiative Award • Outstanding Global Venture Award • Outstanding National Growth Award • Outstanding Brand Award • Outstanding Rising Star Award • Outstanding Excellence Award • Outstanding Entrepreneur Award

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Let’s Run For Charity MRCA’s annual charity run is back with two categories – 10.8km and 5.3km.

It is scheduled to be held at Sky Park One City in USJ 25 on November 20, 2016 at 7am. The run is one of MRCA’s numerous activities to raise funds to help those in need.

Last year, the charity run successfully raised RM100,000 and 10 charity homes each received RM10,000. They were Kiwanis Club of Kluang Mandarin in Johor; Lighthouse Children Welfare Home Association, Kuala Lumpur & Selangor; Pertubuhan Kebajikan Wanita Ikhlas Selangor; Pusat Jagaan Kanak-Kanak Down Syndrome Dan Hyper Active Bandar Bukit Tinggi 2 Klang; Rumah Nur Hikmah Selangor; Rumah Ozanam Klang; Rumah Shalom Puchong; Pertubuhan Kebajikan

Anak Yatim Mary in Kuala Lumpur; Pertubuhan Perkhidmatan Intervensi Awal Batu Pahat; and Handicapped and Mentally Disabled Children Association, Selangor.

This year, MCT Berhad has signed up as a Diamond sponsor while YYC

Chartered Accountants is the Bronze sponsor. OneCity is the Venue sponsor and Revsport Attitude is the Apparel sponsor. Seven leading media houses also signed up as media partners, not forgetting MRCA’s Corporate Patron Maxis and Maybank.

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Council’s Courtesy Call On Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz

Monthly Meetings: May-August

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A sensorial experience

The wellness tourism in Asia-Pacific is forecasted to grow at a rate of 14.35% by 2020, spurred largely by Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

This bodes well for luxury spa operator Baliayu Spa Group Sdn Bhd that runs Baliayu Spa Sanctuary. Founded in 2007, it prides itself as a highly personalised spa establishment, offering clients a soothing and comforting environment.

Step into its quaint outlet in Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar or relieve tired muscles at Paradigm Mall in Kelana Jaya.

Helmed by Managing Director Low Siew Nee, it employs a team well-versed in spa techniques and focused on customer satisfaction.

As a full-service day spa, guests will be able to enjoy the convenience of having a variety of customised beauty and rejuvenating treatments in one location. Feel your stresses wash away with its signature Bali Aromatic Oil Massage or undo aching feet with a pampering foot bath.

Baliayu Spa looks forward to collaborating with MRCA and benefit from improvement training, promotional activities, and educational programmes and activities as well as overseas business opportunities.

Hooking a healthy meal

Far from being a flash in the pan, Fish & Co. is a highly recognisable brand among seafood connoisseurs for its unique Mediterranean cuisine. Owned by Good Gourmet Holdings Sdn Bhd, it is a casual, full service, family chain restaurant serving fresh seafood in a pan.

Its dining experience drew inspiration from the simple practices of fishermen in the Mediterranean Sea. There, fishermen cooked freshly caught seafood on board their boats and ate them off the pan to sate while still out at sea.

Fish & Co. prepares the dishes in a simple and straightforward manner to preserve the natural taste of the seafood, including using natural and wholesome ingredients such as transfat-free oil, herbs, olive oil and various spices from around the world to ensure great tasting and healthy meals in generous portions.

In each of its outlets, diners can expect a rustic chic, nautical ambience, managed by a friendly and knowledgeable crew. You can find Fish & Co. at Pavilion KL, Paradigm Mall, The Mines Shopping Mall, Main Place @ USJ 21, and IOI City Mall.

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Q&A with Managing Director, Pavitar Singh Gulati

Draped in success

From a home based wholesale business, Gulatis opened its first retail outlet at Semua House in 1984, now its empire has expanded to 21 outlets across Malaysia and Euro Moda Gulatis is popularly called Malaysia’s top fabric trendsetter.

Where do you source for the best fabrics?

The fabric team ventures to Italy, France, and many Asian and European countries to source for the best fabrics suitable for Malaysian culture, designs, climate and fashion.

Tell us a bit about your Raya fashion show.

During the Raya Gulatis 2016 fashion showcase at Gulati’s Silk House in Kuala Lumpur, we introduced the latest fabrics from overseas. That included Swiss Cotton, Italian Silk Prints, Chiffon Sequins and Prada Laces as well as favourites Versace Batik Prints dan Super Crepe that are great for baju Melayu.

Euro Moda Gulati’s also has the Original Italian Silk Prints, top quality French Laces from Solstiss and Sophie Hallette.

What fabrics do you recommend for traditional designs?

For those opting for traditional looks, we have exclusive Songket designs and Muslimah fashion under its Butik Aalia brand. Our customers get to enjoy top class tailoring service too.

Centre for real estate solutions

The Henry Butcher group was established in Malaysia in 1987 and today, is a leading property, plant and machinery, and art consultancy in the country with 25 branches and more than 600 employees.

Part of a worldwide group, its services range from valuation, estate agency, retail consultancy, project marketing, market research and development consultancy, and asset management.

Director Lim Eng Chong said the decision to join MRCA was that as property and retail consultants, the Group could assist MRCA to contribute to the growth and uplifting of the industry.

It has undertaken valuation of major assets such as MidValley Megamall, Gardens Mall, Suria KLCC, Tropicana City Mall, Westin Hotel and Menara Maxis and are also managing prime assets such as Pavilion KL, Binjai On the Park, St. Mary Residences, Ampersand, Oasis Ara Damansara, Solaris Mont Kiara and Tijani 2.

In addition, it has handled successfully, the marketing of many local as well as foreign projects from UK, Australia, Singapore and Thailand. The team keeps up with latest trends and developments in real estate markets and practices, making it a truly one-stop property solutions provider.

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A household name

Panasonic Malaysia Sdn Bhd is a sales, service and marketing company for the Panasonic brand of electrical and electronic products ranging from audio visuals, home appliances, air conditioners, indoor air quality, solar business, digital and video cameras, professional broadcasting equipment, system solutions, telecommunications, health and beauty care, batteries and lightings.

All such products are available through its authorised dealers nationwide. The Panasonic Business group aims to provide comprehensive end to end solutions to enhance business productivity and efficiency.

Its latest motto, “Professional Solutions by Panasonic�, aims at providing clients with a one-stop solution through consultations and system design, integrating its products and third-party solutions to create an integrated solutions for better return on investment.

Managing loyalty cards

Delivering a distinctive brand-defining customer experience is never an easy feat. In this digital age, customers even research products and services before making any purchases.

Customers are constantly evolving and always on the lookout for better bargains.

Fusionex Loyalty Management System empowers clients with the ability to manage your loyalty programmes from one single platform. Its comprehensive web-based loyalty solution is fully integrated.

You can even go mobile 24/7 as the software is equipped to provide clients with access to relevant information on your business on-the-go at any time no matter where you are. Reward your most loyal customers, understand their spending patterns, frequency and preferences to increase recurring sales.

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Integrated payment system Tapping into MRCA’s member base, ManagePay Systems Berhad is looking to introduce its e-payment solution, end-toend electronic payment and fintech solutions. THe company is also a service provider for banks and financial institutions, merchants and card issuers with operations across Malaysia.

MPay operates a payment system which allows the company to acquire merchants and facilitate merchants’ ability to accept credit, debit, loyalty and stored-value cards.

On April 29, MPay officially launched MPay Balance, a virtual account that enables users to perform online and in-store purchases, pay bills and reload mobile prepaid credit.

The company was the recipient of the 2012 Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific New Product Innovation Award in Mobile Electronic Payment Terminal Solution in Singapore. MPay also won two awards for its MPay InsureWorks Solution at the Asia Pacific ICT Awards, namely “Best Financial Application” in APICTA Award 2015 Malaysia and the “Merit Award for Best of Financial Application” in APICTA 2015 Sri Lanka.

At the lap of luxury

The Laureate was established in year 2014, a subsidiary of Beacon Group of Companies. It is one of the leading multi-faceted wellness centres in Malaysia with top-notch sophisticated facilities.

It boasts of a team of highly qualified experienced professional healthcare experts, focusing on predictive, preventive, anti-ageing and regenerative programmes.

Equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities, its enthusiastic healthcare professionals are ready to take clients on their journey to total wellness.

It provides tailor-made healthcare services to match the specific needs of its clients according to their individual genetic profile and health history. Furthermore, the programmes use a series of all natural, drug-free, no added chemical and substances, and safe solutions with the sole intention of helping people to achieve its motto, “Live long, live well.”

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Wholesome, delectable treat

Established in November 2014, Madame Waffle is a Japanese style quick-service café serving artisan premium Belgium liege waffle, specialty coffee and tea.

How many outlets do you have in Malaysia?

As of September there are six outlets in leading shopping centres in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya.

What can the customers expect when they come in?

When you step into our outlet, be prepared to be served with handmade and freshly baked waffles on site using the finest ingredients imported from Japan.

Tell us a little about the beverage menu.

For its health conscious clientele, Madame Waffle has a slew of green tea beverages using the finest Uji Matcha from Japan. For coffee lovers, expect freshly roasted coffee with each batch handcrafted by its roaster master using high quality beans sourced from around the world.

What are the benefits of being a part of your franchise model?

The franchise model will provide franchisers with staff and in-store operational training, location evaluation, store design and planning, facilities installation and more.

Why did you decide on joining MRCA? We want to learn and exchange ideas from fellow retailers on how to create a sustainable and successful business in the rapidly changing and challenging industry in Malaysia.

The best fit

Founded in 2008, Neubodi is a lingerie brand that prioritises fit more than any other lingerie manufacturer worldwide. It is committed to changing women’s lives with the right undergarments.

Q&A with Founder and CEO, Anne Tan What sets you apart?

Our products are made by hand, effectively mastering the capacity of combining art and science to make sensual products that shape women confidently. At Neubodi, we are the only innerwear expert in Malaysia that practices the holistic fitting technique whereby every bra specialist in a Neubodi store is fully equipped with a unique skill set to offer the right support and absolute confidence.

Share with us your product range.

Today, our wide range of intimate apparels includes brassieres, panties, sleepwear, body shapers, active wear and even accessories, with more than 108 styles in stores, with the largest range of bra sizes available from 65A – 100 I cup. Neubodi can be found in most of the prominent malls in Malaysia, and also online at www.neubodi.com.

Why did you join MRCA? I joined MRCA as it provides me with updates pertinent to running a retail business. The network functions like a big family whereby members are willing to share their wealth of knowledge.

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MRCA News that appeared in the print media recently

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