Retail News CRM

Category: Food

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Food and Food & Beverage news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Japan’s I’m Donut? Enters Southeast Asia with First Kuala Lumpur Store

    Japan’s I’m Donut? Enters Southeast Asia with First Kuala Lumpur Store

    Japanese bakery concept I’m donut? Opened its first Southeast Asian store at The Exchange TRX in Kuala Lumpur on September 12, 2026. The outlet brings more than 30 pastry varieties to Malaysia.

    The launch is the brand’s first physical retail location outside Japan. It follows rapid growth across Tokyo and other major Japanese cities.

    The Exchange TRX Deployment

    Located at lot GS.05.0 in The Exchange TRX, the shop trades daily from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Staff make every pastry fresh on site throughout the day.

    Chef and founder Ryouta Hirako built the concept around signature nama donuts. His recipe uses a soft dough to produce an airy texture. The Kuala Lumpur branch stocks the brand’s core menu, including the Original, Nama French Cruller, Pistachio Cream, Cacao and Custard variants.

    “We are very happy to finally bring I’m donut? To Malaysia and to introduce our nama donuts to customers in Kuala Lumpur,” said Chef Ryouta Hirako, Founder of I’m donut?.

    Localization and Menu Structure

    Alongside its Japanese lineup, the retailer rolled out items designed specifically for Malaysian consumers. The localized menu incorporates regional breakfast staples and drinks into bakery formats.

    Exclusive items feature sweet and savoury combinations, including Masala Chicken, Cham, Hojicha Kaya Jam, Milo Glazed, Banana Fritter Caramel and Pandan Coconut Cream. Menu localization helps specialty bakeries keep footfall steady once initial novelty fades.

    Mall Dynamics and Food Retail Competition

    Mall operators across Southeast Asia have turned to viral Japanese and Korean food concepts to anchor retail floors. The Exchange TRX serves as a primary landing pad for foreign food and beverage brands entering Malaysia.

    Single-product bakery concepts face sharp competition in Kuala Lumpur’s top retail hubs. Long-term performance requires a balance. Operators must pair core imported recipes with localized seasonal items to hold a broad customer base.

    Expansion Trajectory

    The Malaysian launch follows an announcement in late August 2026 detailing plans to expand across the region. This Kuala Lumpur site gives the company an operating base to test Southeast Asian demand.

    RetailNews Asia tracks store productivity across prime commercial developments in Malaysia. Sales and foot traffic at The Exchange TRX will establish the baseline for future growth. Those figures will determine whether the business adds locations in the Klang Valley or pushes into Singapore and Thailand.

  • Coles Opens Its First Fully Electric Supermarket in Melbourne

    Coles Opens Its First Fully Electric Supermarket in Melbourne

    In September 2026, Coles opened its first fully electric supermarket at Orana Village in Clyde, Melbourne. The site eliminates on-site fossil fuels through a 270-kilowatt rooftop solar array and battery storage.

    Its rooftop holds 487 solar panels. These connect to a 110-kilowatt, 225-kilowatt-hour battery energy storage system that powers daily operations and backs up essential services during outages.

    How the Store Runs Without Gas

    Natural gas is gone from the site. Electric heat pumps link directly to a natural carbon dioxide refrigeration system. This setup captures waste heat from chilled cabinets and feeds it into climate control, delivering 171 kilowatts of heating capacity alongside full LED lighting fixtures.

    Drivers have access to four on-site fast-charging bays delivering up to 200 kilowatts direct current via Evie Networks. These chargers connect straight to the battery storage system. That buffer smooths power spikes when multiple electric vehicles draw high current during peak shopping hours.

    Origin Energy developed the on-site battery as an on-market backup unit. When checkouts and lighting do not require reserve power, the battery feeds capacity into Origin’s virtual power plant. That allows power trading on the wholesale electricity market.

    The Operational Read-Across for Retail Landlords

    Pressure is mounting on supermarket operators across Australia and Southeast Asia to remove direct gas connections from standalone shopping centres and strip developments. Coles expects the Clyde installation to reduce electricity drawn from the grid by up to 25 per cent. That drop eases baseline utility overheads in high-tariff energy markets.

    Property owners face distinct physical and capital hurdles if they copy this layout. Rooftop structures must support heavy panel arrays. Battery containment also demands dedicated exterior real estate and specialised fire suppression infrastructure. Landlords negotiating new leases with national grocers will need to absorb shared electrification costs during base-building stages.

    The Rollout Plan Through 2029

    Following the Clyde commissioning, Coles and Origin Energy extended their renewable energy partnership for another three years to 2029. Under the expanded agreement, Origin will install an additional 15 megawatts of rooftop solar capacity across up to 75 stores. It will also add 15 megawatt-hours of battery storage across up to 20 locations.

    Orana Village gives us a blueprint for what a lower emissions and more resilient store network could look like.

    Work on the initial phase began in 2023, delivering 16.45 megawatts of solar capacity across 73 stores and distribution centres, alongside 1.35 megawatt-hours of battery storage across five sites. Across participating locations, the combined systems cut grid electricity demand by an average of almost 20 per cent.

    Grid Exposure and Capital Allocation

    This project ties into the retailer’s plan to reach net-zero operational emissions by 2050. At the close of financial year 2026, Coles reported an 82.6 per cent reduction in combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions compared with its 2020 baseline. That progress rests on national power purchase contracts covering its network of more than 1,800 outlets and logistics facilities.

    Rivals Woolworths and Aldi have similarly contracted renewable power for their store fleets while introducing electric freight trucks. Attention now turns to whether savings from heat recovery and peak-demand management justify the upfront capital cost of retrofitting older, leasehold supermarkets before the 2029 rollout deadline.

  • Hikiniku to Come Opens Second Manila Store at SM Megamall

    Hikiniku to Come Opens Second Manila Store at SM Megamall

    Japan’s charcoal-grilled hamburg chain Hikiniku to Come opened its second Philippine outlet at SM Megamall, setting up a third location for 2027.

    The expansion adds prime mall retail space in Metro Manila to the Japanese concept, which entered the market under local operator The Standard Group. Diners receive freshly ground, charcoal-grilled beef patties served individually on bowls of rice rather than pre-cooked patties held in warmers.

    How the concept operates

    Founded in Tokyo in 2020, the brand built its format around single-item execution. Counter seating surrounds central charcoal grills where staff cook patties directly in front of customers.

    The format relies on high inventory turns and strict batch preparation. The Standard Group handles daily operations, sourcing, and retail site selection across the country.

    Mall landlords and format demand

    Japanese dining concepts continue to secure high-traffic anchor positions in Metro Manila shopping centres. Landlords favour specialty operators that generate queues and consistent ticket averages over standard food-court counters.

    For Philippine mall operators, bringing single-specialty Japanese brands into central retail clusters drives weekday footfall and boosts food and beverage revenue per square metre. The model carries operational discipline: tight menus minimise raw material waste, while the open-grill theatre speeds customer turnaround.

    The operational hurdles

    Replicating Tokyo counter dining across Southeast Asia carries supply chain pressure. Operators must maintain daily beef consistency and import Japanese short-grain rice while navigating local import tariffs and currency fluctuations.

    Labor training presents another operational bottleneck. Grilling fresh beef to precise specifications at a live counter leaves little room for service errors during peak meal rushes.

    What comes next

    Hikiniku to Come launched its initial Manila flagship earlier before expanding to the Mandaluyong retail corridor. The Standard Group is now scouting real estate for the brand’s third branch, with additional metropolitan sites under review for development over the coming year.

  • Soul Origin to Double Store Network to 400 Locations over 10 Years

    Soul Origin to Double Store Network to 400 Locations over 10 Years

    Fast-casual chain Soul Origin plans to more than double its store network to approximately 400 locations globally over the next 10 years.

    The company, which marks its 15th anniversary this year, has grown into a network of 178 locations with around 22 million customer visits each year. Opening 15 to 20 stores annually across Australia, New Zealand and additional international markets will drive the expansion.

    Shifting Out of the Food Court

    Alongside continued growth in shopping centres, Soul Origin will add more regional, drive-through, airport, hospital, university and service-centre locations. Six new stores are scheduled to open before Christmas, including a new company-owned flagship at Sydney International Airport.

    Highway retailing forms a central pillar of the push. Soul Origin operates a hybrid service-centre format in partnership with fuel retailer Ampol, with two additional co-located sites scheduled to open before the end of the year. The business is scouting further roadside and regional plots across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.

    Trans-Tasman Growth and Extended Trading

    New Zealand represents the immediate cross-border priority. The company currently runs four stores across the country and has mapped out approximately 10 additional openings there over the next two years.

    Longer operating hours in roadside and transit hubs require a wider menu. Kitchens across the network are rolling out hot dinner items, matcha drinks and expanded iced beverage selections. Soul Origin is also taking side dishes and add-ons first tested in its drive-through prototypes and adding them to traditional metro counters.

    Franchise Pressures and Highway Formats

    Transitioning from enclosed shopping mall food courts into roadside and transit locations alters the underlying store economics. Food court units rely on captive foot traffic with heavy daytime peaks, whereas highway service centres and airport terminals demand split-shift staffing, higher capital expenditure for kitchen fit-outs and steady evening volume to recover rent.

    Competing quick-service operators across Australia and the wider region have pursued identical fuel-convenience partnerships to escape rising mall occupancy costs. For Soul Origin, sustaining average transaction values during afternoon and dinner trading will determine whether these extended-hour formats generate acceptable returns for franchise partners.

    Management Transition at Fifteen Years

    The expansion plan arrives as the company marks 15 years since its founding as a single family-run food outlet. Current chief financial officer George Gebran will step into the chief executive role on October 1 to manage the operational expansion.

    Co-founder and current managing director Hao Quach will step down from day-to-day management on the same date. Quach will remain with the business to focus on long-term strategy, market entry and corporate development.

    Network development will center on the delivery of the six pre-Christmas openings, the performance of the new Sydney Airport terminal site, and the execution of the 10-store pipeline planned for New Zealand through 2028.

  • Yakima Opens Ombak KLCC Outlet in Push for Halal Japanese Street Food

    Yakima Opens Ombak KLCC Outlet in Push for Halal Japanese Street Food

    YAKIGO opened an outlet at Ombak KLCC on 11 September 2026. The launch anchors its quick-service Japanese skewer format inside Kuala Lumpur’s central commercial district.

    Located at Lot C1 on the Urban Eats concourse floor, the branch is the brand’s third operating site. It forms part of a planned five-location network spanning retail malls, university campuses and highway rest stops.

    Central kitchen backing and localized recipes

    The concept adapts Japanese yakitori into a fast-casual format built around batch grilling. Kitchens prepare skewers throughout service. They pair them with three sauces: a classic yakitori glaze, a spicy Golden Buttermilk sauce and a localized Sambal Bara.

    Menu bundles divide into three tiers tailored for high-footfall concourses. Options include a three-piece Snack Bag for on-the-go eating, a five-piece Signature Box, or a four-piece Full Meal served over Japanese rice.

    To serve Malaysia’s mainstream Muslim consumer base, the chain runs a halal-certified central kitchen. It sources all ingredients from compliant suppliers. Strategy officer Matthews Chang stated the business intends to make Japanese street dining broadly accessible through localized flavours and inclusive sourcing.

    The fast-casual shift in quick-service Asian dining

    For mall landlords and concourse operators, compact skewer formats deliver high revenue density per square metre. Stalls with limited, standardized stock-keeping units drive quick turns and high takeaway volume during peak lunch and evening commuting windows.

    Central kitchen certification clears the main operational hurdle facing Japanese concepts in Southeast Asia. Shifting butchery, skewer assembly and sauce production offsite strips complexity out of compact stores. It also ensures regulatory compliance across every point of sale.

    Expanding across commuter and campus hubs

    The Ombak KLCC site follows earlier launches aimed at different foot-traffic demographics. YAKIGO began operations at KIPMall Kota Warisan before opening a campus branch at Taylor’s University to capture student dining spend.

    Another retail store opened at Coalfields Retail Park on 10 September 2026, just ahead of the KLCC launch. The location establishes an outer-suburban presence in Selangor.

    Next stop on the North-South highway

    YAKIGO will open its next counter at the Seremban Rest and Service Area along the North-South Expressway in early October 2026. The branch takes the format into high-volume highway transit retail.

  • Italian Trade Agency Targets Australia in 18-Month Retail and Foodservice Push

    Italian Trade Agency Targets Australia in 18-Month Retail and Foodservice Push

    The Italian Trade Agency is running an 18-month commercial push across Australian grocery and foodservice channels to widen distribution beyond core staples.

    Sydney-based Trade Commissioner Alessandro Lamura, who began his role on August 31, leads the effort targeting hotel catering, institutional dining and major supermarket shelves with specialty bakery goods, sauces, confectionery and frozen foods.

    Targeting Professional Kitchens and Supermarket Shelves

    Italian exporters have long relied on steady demand for pasta, extra virgin olive oil, wine, cheese and cured meats. The agency now wants to place preserved goods, specialty ingredients and ready-to-use food solutions into mainstream supermarkets and independent delicatessens.

    Foodservice sits at the center of the push. Lamura wants Italian ingredients in commercial restaurant groups, hotel kitchens and institutional catering operations, moving past traditional Italian dining rooms. As an institutional matchmaker, the agency gathers market intelligence and connects Italian producers directly to Australian importers, distributors and retail buyers.

    Shifting from Re-Export Hubs to Final-Destination Retail

    Lamura took charge of the Sydney office on August 31. He previously served as deputy trade commissioner across the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Oman. Unlike Middle Eastern trade hubs built on logistics zones and re-export volumes, Australia is a high-value domestic market with strict biosecurity protocols and long distributor vetting cycles.

    Australia offers reliable margins for European suppliers eyeing Asia-Pacific. Still, it demands local compliance and shelf consistency. European producers frequently struggle with national biosecurity rules and high transport costs across the continent. Direct work with domestic distributors aims to cut inventory delays and secure permanent shelf space against domestic and regional Asian food brands.

    Strengthening Commercial Presence After Melbourne Trade Event

    This campaign follows the Italian National Pavilion at Fine Food Australia 2026 in Melbourne, which included an August visit by Italian Trade Agency president Matteo Zoppas. Zoppas directed the Sydney office to secure deeper ties with Australian grocery chains and digital marketplaces while expanding attendance at regional industry exhibitions.

    Preparations are underway for Italy’s pavilion at next year’s trade exhibition. The agency will add a live demonstration kitchen and product workshops for commercial buyers.

  • South Korea Partners with Shin-Line on Food Cluster and 70 CU Stores

    South Korea Partners with Shin-Line on Food Cluster and 70 CU Stores

    South Korea’s food cluster agency signed a partnership on Tuesday with Kazakhstan’s Shin-Line Group to build an industrial food hub and expand bilateral market cooperation.

    The agreement opens a pathway for food producers from the National Food Cluster in Iksan to gain access to Central Asia’s largest ice cream manufacturer and its network of about 70 CU convenience stores.

    Advisory terms and network access

    Korea Food Industry Cluster Promotion Agency Chairperson Kim Deok-ho and Shin-Line Group Chairman Andrei Shin signed the memorandum of understanding at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul during the Korea-Kazakhstan Business Roundtable. Under the agreement, the Korean agency will consult on operating strategies, infrastructure planning, and enterprise support programs for the planned food cluster.

    Packaged goods made by tenants at South Korea’s National Food Cluster will flow directly into Shin-Line’s retail footprint. The company operates local production plants, cold-chain routes, and roughly 70 CU franchised convenience stores across Kazakhstan.

    Supply chains push into Central Asia

    For Korean packaged food manufacturers, the deal tackles their toughest operational bottleneck in Central Asia: shelf space and cold-chain logistics. Exporters entering Kazakhstan typically face fragmented wholesale channels and unpredictable refrigerated transport. Partnering with Shin-Line gives suppliers an immediate pipeline into modern convenience retail.

    Operational risk centers on product fit and price positioning. Central Asian consumers embrace Korean pop culture, but everyday convenience store spending remains sensitive to freight costs and local purchasing power. Shin-Line must balance higher-margin imported Korean inventory with high-turnover domestic staple foods. That balance keeps store traffic steady.

    Expanding the Iksan blueprint

    In North Jeolla Province, the Korean agency runs the National Food Cluster in Iksan, providing research, development, and pilot production support to domestic food processors. The Kazakhstan project exports that state-managed industrial model. It also secures captive export destinations for cluster tenants.

    This agreement provides an opportunity to expand food industry cooperation with Kazakhstan by drawing on our experience operating the National Food Cluster.

    Store counts and development timeline

    Teams from both sides will now set working schedules for technical consultations on the industrial park and outline vendor requirements for Korean exporters. The key early milestone is tracking how quickly National Food Cluster packaged lines reach shelves across Shin-Line’s 70 CU stores in Kazakhstan.

  • Nespresso Pilots $5 Doorstep Capsule Recycling Service in Sydney

    Nespresso Pilots $5 Doorstep Capsule Recycling Service in Sydney

    In September 2026, Nespresso began piloting The Doorstep Collection, a new recycling service across metropolitan Sydney that allows customers to return used coffee capsules directly from their homes for $5.

    Each collection bag holds up to 180 Original capsules or 90 Vertuo capsules. Once filled, users can seal the bag and arrange a collection directly through the Nespresso app.

    How the collection model works

    The pilot tackles the main bottleneck in aluminium capsule recovery. Previously, consumers had to return used pods to brand boutiques or post offices. Folding collection into home delivery channels shifts reverse logistics costs onto willing buyers while defending the closed pod ecosystem.

    Recycling facilities separate the aluminium casings from residual coffee grounds. Smelters reprocess the metal. The organic waste goes to commercial composting facilities.

    Reverse logistics across regional markets

    Single-serve coffee brands across Asia-Pacific face mounting regulatory pressure to fund packaging waste management. In mature consumer markets like Australia, Singapore and Japan, drop-off rates consistently lag behind pod sales volumes without home collection infrastructure.

    Charging five dollars per bag tests how much financial responsibility consumers will shoulder for convenience. Competitors rely on third-party mail-back envelopes or retail bins that place the legwork on the shopper.

    What happens next

    Nespresso previously expanded drop-off points across postal networks and independent grocery stockists in Australia. Sydney now serves as the benchmark trial market ahead of a planned rollout across other Australian metropolitan regions.

  • PepsiCo Launches Nobby’s Protein Coated Almonds in 45G Packs

    PepsiCo Launches Nobby’s Protein Coated Almonds in 45G Packs

    PepsiCo Australia expanded its impulse snacking portfolio on September 16, 2026, with the launch of Nobby’s Protein Coated Almonds.

    The single-serve range comes in 45g packages featuring whole roasted almonds enclosed in a protein-enriched coating and seasoning.

    Functional Formats for Front-of-Store Displays

    The product enters the market in two flavours: Cacao, delivering 11g of protein per pack, and Salted Caramel, providing 10.8g of protein per pack.

    Traditional packaged nuts already carry a natural health halo, but multinational snack makers face rising competition from dedicated sports nutrition bars and fortified confectionery. Adding a concentrated protein coating lets PepsiCo position a heritage pub-snack brand like Nobby’s directly against specialized fitness snacks on convenience racks.

    Margin Pressure and Category Competition

    For convenience operators and grocers, the format offers higher revenue per square centimetre of impulse shelf space compared to conventional salted peanuts. The risk rests in repeat purchase behaviour: coated nuts carry a heavier processing load, and shoppers buying functional protein often scrutinize sugar levels and ingredient purity before committing to daily consumption.

    Rival consumer goods manufacturers in Australia and across broader Asia-Pacific markets have pursued similar line extensions, turning core confectionery and nut brands into macro-friendly alternatives. PepsiCo itself continues to tweak recipe formulations across its regional portfolio to counter slowing volume growth in traditional fried snacks.

    Shelf Performance Metrics to Watch

    The Australian launch follows wider category revamps across PepsiCo’s regional business, where the company has sought to offset shifts away from high-sodium savoury snacks with portion-controlled, higher-margin impulse items.

    Retailer uptake across nationwide fuel and grocery chains over the fourth quarter will indicate whether the brand can hold dedicated impulse real estate outside its traditional salted nut stronghold.

  • Japan Targets Food Consumption Tax Cut to 1 per Cent Under Reshuffled Cabinet

    Japan Targets Food Consumption Tax Cut to 1 per Cent Under Reshuffled Cabinet

    Japan plans to cut its consumption tax on food from 8 per cent to 1 per cent for two years starting April 2027 under a retained economic team.

    The tax cut anchors Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s legislative agenda. She plans to submit the bill to parliament before the end of 2026. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama will defend the policy and outline how the government will plug the resulting revenue shortfall.

    Tax relief timeline and Cabinet posts

    Takaichi maintained stability across key portfolios while broadening her governing alliance. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi keep their posts. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara stays on as top government spokesperson. Hiroshi Nakatsuka from the Japan Innovation Party joins as state minister for special missions. The appointment gives the junior coalition partner its first Cabinet seat since the two parties allied in October 2025.

    Keeping Katayama at the Ministry of Finance secures an experienced administrator for the coming tax debates. Officials must draft statutory text and win parliamentary approval in the upcoming session. That schedule gives cash-register vendors and food distributors time to update billing software before the April 2027 start date.

    Implications for grocers and state coffers

    For supermarket chains, convenience store operators, and food manufacturers, the seven-percentage-point cut offers direct margin relief. Grocers have absorbed higher wholesale costs for imported staples and energy for years, passing higher shelf prices to cautious shoppers. A drop to a 1 per cent rate reduces register prices immediately. That discount should support sales volumes across physical stores and food delivery apps.

    Operational challenges center on IT systems. Japanese retailers spent heavily to install dual-rate cash register infrastructure during the October 2019 tax revision. Adjusting cash desks to a temporary 1 per cent bracket will require fresh software updates and staff training across thousands of stores nationwide.

    Parliamentary battles ahead

    Coalition ties date back to October 2025, when the Liberal Democratic Party partnered with the Japan Innovation Party without allocating ministerial seats. Takaichi defeated Koizumi in a party leadership runoff last year. Keeping rivals inside the Cabinet binds potential challengers to her fiscal plans ahead of the September 2027 party presidential election.

    Lawmakers will debate the food tax legislation and its funding mechanisms before the end of December 2026. That vote will set the baseline for consumer prices across Japan’s food retail sector through 2029.

  • Jessica Locarnini Named Inaugural Seedlab Australia Churchill Fellow

    Jessica Locarnini Named Inaugural Seedlab Australia Churchill Fellow

    Australia’s only master honey sommelier, Jessica Locarnini, has won the inaugural Seedlab Australia Churchill Fellowship. She will use the award to build a national evaluation standard for the domestic honey sector.

    Her 2026 fellowship involves studying international grading systems. From there, she will develop formal training pathways for sensory experts and competition judges across Australia.

    Building sensory standards

    Locarnini has spent eight years in honey sensory analysis. She already judges regional and national competitions. Her research focuses on translating structured sensory methods into commercial benchmarks for Australian producers.

    Standardised tasting panels allow commercial apiaries to separate high-grade floral varietals from bulk blended honey. Clear sensory criteria give producers defensible data. That helps justify premium shelf pricing in domestic supermarkets and export markets across the Asia-Pacific.

    Value protection for commercial apiaries

    Domestic honey brands face stiff competition from cheap imported syrups and adulterated blended products on retail shelves. Independent sensory certification creates a verification layer. This protects premium mono-floral lines against category price erosion.

    Retail buyers in North Asia demand certified origin and flavour profiles for table honey. Accredited Australian judging and tasting standards give exporters a practical tool to defend margins in key accounts.

    National rollout targets

    Selected for the 2026 cohort of Churchill Fellows, Locarnini will conduct her research overseas. Seedlab Australia backed the food fellowship to build technical capability among boutique and mid-tier fast-moving consumer goods producers.

    The project findings will feed into a national curriculum. It aims to train the first accredited cohort of regional honey judges within two years.

  • 7-Eleven Malaysia Launches Four Michelin-Crafted Ready Meals at RM15.90

    7-Eleven Malaysia Launches Four Michelin-Crafted Ready Meals at RM15.90

    In September 2026, 7-Eleven Malaysia rolled out a four-dish ready-to-eat meal range developed with Michelin Guide chefs. Each counter-served rice dish costs RM15.90.

    Branded as Santap Lah, the collection is available exclusively across the chain’s CAFÉ by 7-Eleven store format in Malaysia. Every meal is halal-certified and made without preservatives. Staff heat each portion directly at the service counter.

    Star chefs take to the convenience counter

    The lineup pulls recipes directly from high-end kitchens in Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Raymond Tham, chef at one-star Beta KL, developed the Kadok Chicken Rice. Aidan Low of one-star akar contributed the Dabai Curry Rice. Penang-based Kim Hock Su from one-star Restaurant au Jardin created a vegan option, Hericium Mushroom Rendang with Rose Water Rice. A fourth dish, Rose Chicken with Buttered Rice, comes from Nurilkarim of Michelin-selected Jawi House.

    Selling fine-dining recipes in plastic trays requires rigid cold-chain controls and tight commissary standardisation. The retailer is using shelf-stable heating techniques and preservative-free recipes to tackle the quality drop common in mass-produced convenience food.

    The margin fight in fresh food

    Convenience operators across Southeast Asia are leaning heavily on proprietary ready meals to defend gross margins against grocery discounters and food delivery platforms. Ready-to-eat lines yield higher gross margins than packaged consumer goods. However, they carry sharp inventory risks if off-peak sales drop.

    In Malaysia, 7-Eleven faces stiff competition in fresh food from FamilyMart. That rival built its local market share on hot snacks, oden, and chilled lunch boxes. By putting Michelin-starred names on its menu, 7-Eleven aims to capture office workers looking for quality lunches without paying full restaurant table rates.

    Expanding the cafe footprint

    This rollout ties into the chain’s broader conversion of standard convenience outlets into the larger CAFÉ by 7-Eleven format. These stores dedicate more floor space to seating, barista coffee, and ready-to-eat meals.

    Customer uptake across suburban locations outside central Kuala Lumpur will test the Santap Lah range next. Spending power is tighter in these areas, where standard hawker meals still sell well below the RM15 mark.

  • Lion Expands Kirin Hyoketsu RTD Lineup in Australia with Two Flavours

    Lion Expands Kirin Hyoketsu RTD Lineup in Australia with Two Flavours

    Lion expanded its Kirin Hyoketsu ready-to-drink portfolio in Australia with two flavour additions, rolling out Mandarin in 330ml cans and Mango in a 440ml format.

    Mandarin enters the core lineup as a permanent fixture after a limited-edition trial run last year, while Mango introduces a larger volume designed for single-serve retail sales.

    Format Shifts in Premix Liquor

    The addition of the 440ml format for Mango shows how brewers are adjusting pack sizes to capture different drinking occasions outside standard multi-packs. Lion said the larger single-can design gives consumers more flexibility across outdoor and convenience settings where larger volumes sell at higher individual price points.

    Japanese premix chu-hi brands have gained steady ground across Australasia against traditional dark spirit mixers and craft seltzers. By bringing Kirin’s domestic Japanese recipes directly into local distribution networks, Lion captures higher manufacturing margins while bypassing third-party brand licensing costs.

    Building Out the Core Roster

    Competition in Australia’s pre-mixed alcoholic beverage aisle remains fierce, dominated by major domestic brewers and global spirits groups fighting for shelf space at major retail chains. The risk for brand owners lies in rapid consumer rotation across novelty flavours, which frequently leads to inventory markdowns if repeat purchases drop off after the initial seasonal surge.

    The current rollout follows Lion’s initial introduction of Kirin Hyoketsu to the Australian market, where it used Japanese citrus profiles to establish a foothold among younger adult consumers.

    Retailers will track off-premise sales velocity across both can sizes as inventory reaches store shelves ahead of the peak summer trading quarter.

  • Oriental Kopi Named Coffee Partner at Palm Garden Hotel Putrajaya

    Oriental Kopi Named Coffee Partner at Palm Garden Hotel Putrajaya

    Palm Garden Hotel Putrajaya partnered with Malaysian café chain Oriental Kopi on September 11, 2026. The brand now supplies the daily afternoon coffee service at the hotel’s Courtyard lounge.

    Guests get Oriental Kopi’s brew alongside local teatime snacks. The service runs daily between 3:30pm and 5:30pm.

    Daily Courtyard Service Details

    The hotel runs the programme under the name Kopi Dulu, drawing on the Malay word’s double meaning for first and the past. Executives from the hotel, property owner IOI Properties Group, and Oriental Kopi launched the offering together on site.

    Attendees included Palm Garden Hotel Putrajaya general manager Marshall Chai and IOI Properties Group property investment chief operating officer Chris Chong. Hospitality assistant general manager Tan Lee Fong and Oriental Kopi chief executive officer Dato’ Calvin Chan also took part.

    Local Brand Tie-Ups In Hospitality

    Hotel operators across Southeast Asia increasingly swap generic food programmes for branded domestic concepts. The strategy pulls foot traffic into underused lobby spaces. Teaming up with recognisable local F&B names also gives property owners a ready-made audience without the overhead of developing in-house menus.

    For domestic chains like Oriental Kopi, hospitality tie-ups secure brand placement in higher-spending leisure and corporate settings. But operational risks exist. External retail partners must match hotel service standards across every daily shift.

    Retail Expansion Footprint

    This tie-up follows other distribution deals by Oriental Kopi across Malaysia, including an August campaign with FamilyMart Malaysia featuring packaged kopitiam food items. Palm Garden Hotel previously ran seasonal activations at the venue, including a dedicated durian lounge in July.

    Oriental Kopi is expanding its retail footprint and corporate distribution channels across Peninsular Malaysia. Next, the chain plans further menu integrations across commercial properties in the Klang Valley.

  • Baiada Opens Tamworth Plant to Process 1.5 Million Chickens Weekly

    Baiada Opens Tamworth Plant to Process 1.5 Million Chickens Weekly

    Australian poultry producer Baiada opened its processing facility in Tamworth on September 16. The site began operations with a weekly capacity of 1.5 million chickens.

    The plant ranks among Australia’s largest regional food manufacturing investments. It supplies fresh poultry directly to domestic supermarket chains and commercial food service operators.

    Automation and Weekly Processing Volume

    Managing Director Simon Camilleri and Chairman John Camilleri launched the site as an integrated manufacturing hub. It combines automated processing lines, updated environmental controls and expanded worker facilities. These systems handle high-volume throughput with fewer bottlenecks.

    Processing 1.5 million birds every seven days gives Baiada immediate scale in northern New South Wales. The company built the site to centralise slaughter, cut-up and packaging closer to regional farming networks. That proximity cuts transit times for live birds.

    Supply Chain Pressure and Regional Competition

    Supermarket retailers Woolworths and Coles rely on Baiada for private-label and branded fresh poultry lines. By lifting throughput in Tamworth, Baiada adds capacity to protect volume commitments against rival processors like Ingham’s during peak seasons.

    Concentrating volume in a single regional facility raises operational exposure. Automated meat plants require uninterrupted cold-chain logistics and steady local labour pools to maintain target line speeds. Local disruptions can quickly ripple into retail distribution centres across eastern Australia.

    Long-Term Capacity Targets

    Baiada planned the Tamworth project to replace aging regional infrastructure and meet steady domestic consumption gains across wholesale and grocery channels. Past supply constraints across New South Wales pushed processors to build facilities that cut unit electricity and water usage per processed bird.

    Attention now turns to whether Baiada ramps line capacity beyond its initial 1.5 million weekly baseline toward peak engineered volume over upcoming processing cycles.