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Dato’ Garry Chua presented a token of appreciation to Richard Li, President of ACFPT.
At night, ACFPT hosted a sumptuous dinner for MRCA and delegates from South Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore, where they also ceremoniously exchanged mementos.
Mitsui Group On day two, the delegation visited the Mitsui Group and Chuan Lian Enterprise headquarters. The Mitsui Chairman, Ray Huang, presented a detailed talk about the company and hosted a Q&A session. The MRCA was then taken to view the Addiction Aquatic Development – a new base located in Taipei’s Fish Market that intends to restore the vitality to the fish market. It aims to evolve above the mess found in traditional markets and hopes to let consumers return to the market and enjoy the festival atmosphere found in traditional markets. The partitions of AAD are clear, with 10 different theme areas in a space of 1,983 sqm. It also aims to provide fresh and excellent quality control of products and reasonable pricing to customers. This way, general consumers or business
buyers are able to get good seafood products with excellent values. By combining aquamarine products, supermarket, theme restaurants, and home aesthetics, the AAD aims to be an innovative location for consumers where they can eat, buy, and purchase with pleasure.
Chuan Lian Enterprise Co. Ltd The MRCA delegation also visited Chuan Lian Enterprise Co. Ltd. Upon arrival, they were given a briefing of the company by CEO Hsu Chung-Jen. Later they were also taken to view a Pxmart chain store with a Q&A held thereafter. PX Mart Co. Ltd, operating as Pxmart, is a supermarket chain in Taiwan. It is often known as “Whole Union Welfare Centre” with its corporate headquarters in the Zhongzheng district, Taipei. As of 2008, Pxmart is Taiwan’s largest “hard discounter” chain. Originally government run post exchanges (PXs) for military and government workers (identification was required to shop there), the stores were privatised in 1998 and became open to
the general public. There are currently 846 stores in Taiwan. Currently Chuan Lian is aiming for 1,000 stores by the end of this year. It will be a 20% increase. These will be mainly in urban centres, featuring fresh and prepared foods. After studying in Japan in the 1970s, Hsu returned to Taiwan and introduced the 7-Eleven convenience store brand. He moved to Chuan Lian in 2014, and immediately set about re-establishing the company’s strength in fresh foods. In 2015, Chuan Lian opened a bakery store in the heart of Taipei, and in January spent 450 million New Taiwan dollars (US$13.9 million) to acquire grocery chain Matsusei. Its 53 stores brought Chuan Lian’s total to more than 840 locations. Taiwanese supermarkets typically receive product shipments directly from manufacturers through thirdparty logistics services, but Hsu wants to create a more efficient framework with a network of logistics centres and information systems to manage distribution. Chuan Lian targets NT$200 billion in sales by 2020 – more than double 2015’s figure.
Conclusion It was a fruitful visit for MRCA as the members got to see and hear for themselves how the retail chain stores and franchising industry is perceived in Taiwan. With discussions and meetings with ACFPT and CEOs of the Mitsui Group and Chuan Lian, MRCA members are reinvigorated with ideas and strategies on how to better improve their way of conducting business. Moreover this visit is a great precursor to ACFPT’s visit to Kuala Lumpur for MIRF 2017 in June. The Taiwan delegation is one of the biggest this year with many ACFPT members taking part as exhibitors. This ties in well with MRCA’s vision to reach out to peer association overseas and foster close ties.
Malaysia Retailer Vol 5 No 2