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Tag: Malaysia

  • Harvey Norman plans More Expansion in Malaysia

    Harvey Norman plans More Expansion in Malaysia

    Harvey Norman Malaysia is planning to open nine stores by the end of next year, taking its network there to more than 50 by the end of 2023. The retailer has expanded into Sarawak with an outlet in Miri Times Square.

    The 40,000sqft store covers a range of products spanning electrical and electronics, as well as furniture and bedding.

    “Harvey Norman has one price point, so regardless of where you buy it in Malaysia, the price is the same and Miri customers will get these benefits,” said Kenneth Aruldoss, Harvey Norman Asia MD.

    “We also cater to Bruneian customers. They can come to Miri and shop at our store, and we’ll give them the same support and quality service including after-sales service.”

    Four other stores – in Tebrau and Southkey (Johor), Ipoh and Kota Baru – will open in the second half of the year.

    Harvey Norman Malaysia sales reached S$152.33mil last financial year, up 10.5 percent year on year.

    “Malaysia is the best-performing country, with Singapore coming in second, in terms of growth and profits (among other indicators),” Aruldoss said.

    After launching in 2003, Harvey Norman Malaysia now has more than 17 stores across the country.

  • Axiata Group negotiating mega merger with Telenor

    Axiata Group negotiating mega merger with Telenor

    Malaysia-based Axiata Group has revealed it is in discussion to merge with Telenor’s Asian operations to create a regional powerhouse with total annual revenues of over 50 billion ringgit ($12.05 billion).

    Under the preliminary terms of the proposed merger of equals, Telenor would own a 56.5% stake in the merged company, while Axiata would take a 43.5% stake.

    The combined company would be one of the largest operator groups in Asia-Pacific, with operating subsidiaries in nine countries with a total of 300 million customers and a market reach of over 1 billion people.

    In Axiata’s home market, the merger would involve combining Malaysia’s Celcom Axiata with Telenor’s subsidiary in the nation Digi.Com to create the largest mobile operator in the market.

    Axiata’s subsidiary in Bangladesh Robi Axiata would continue to be managed independently by Axiata.

    The merger is expected to deliver around 20 billion ringgit in synergies through the consolidation of assets as well as the benefits of economies of scale.

    In addition to the retail operations, the merger has the potential to create a top five mobile infrastructure player through the combination of Axiata’s tower company edotco with Telenor’s Asian tower assets.

    In a filing with the Malaysian stock exchange, Axiata Group said discussions are still ongoing and there is no guarantee a deal will eventuate, but that it has opted for early disclosure to provide transparency for shareholders during the negotiations.

    “This proposed mega-merger of equals would create a Global Champion, headquartered right here in Malaysia…Leveraging on the synergies of our combined assets, organizations, talents, best practices, scale and financial firepower, we would create the largest telecom operator in the region,” Axiata president and group CEO Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim said.

    “There is a lot of work ahead of us to conclude this deal, but I am excited as this merger would be unparalleled in the history of telecom in Asia and corporate Malaysia.”

    Subject to due diligence, the two companies aim to have negotiated the terms of a binding agreement by the end of the third quarter.

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  • Ex-AirAsia executive joins Malaysia Airports as COO

    Ex-AirAsia executive joins Malaysia Airports as COO

    Malaysia Airport Holdings (MAHB) has appointed former AirAsia executive Mohammed Shukrie Mohammed Salleh as its new chief operating officer.

    MAHB says that Shukrie will oversee strategies related to airport operations, safety and security, as well as planning and development.

    Shukrie was formerly AirAsia Malaysia’s chief operating officer, before moving to the current position.

    It is the second senior leadership appointment at the airport operator in 2019. In January, MAHB appointed its former finance chief Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin as its chief executive.

    On Twitter, AirAsia group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes lauded the move, saying that he was “thrilled” that Shukrie would be joining MAHB.

    “He values partners, can communicate well and is a positive human being and a team player. These are qualities that have been lacking in MAHB so I’m sure with him there now things will improve,” he adds.

    AirAsia and MAHB have been embroiled in a legal spat over passenger service charges and service levels at Kuala Lumpur International airport. MAHB has initiated court action against the budget carrier over unpaid passenger service charges, while the low-cost carrier then responded with a counter-claim against the airport operator and has been pushing for mediation.

    MAHB manages 39 Malaysian airports, including those in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kuching, and Kota Kinabalu.

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  • McDonald’s Malaysia Opens 20 More Restaurants

    McDonald’s Malaysia Opens 20 More Restaurants

    McDonald’s Malaysia will launch 20 new McDonald’s Drive-Thru restaurants before the end of the year.

    “Drive-Thru window sales have contributed almost 50 per cent of total sales at 167 restaurants,” said regional MD and local operating partner Azmir Jaafar. “On top of this, we’ve seen an average 10 per cent year-on-year growth in drive-thru sales in the first quarter of 2019.”

    McDonald’s Malaysia opened its first Drive-Thru in Titiwangsa in 1988. The franchise now plans to include a drive-through facility in nearly three quarters of its restaurants by 2021, anticipating a 10–15 per cent increase in vehicle count.

    A Drive-Thru Weekend Challenge held from April 26–28 saw 473,860 cars stopping at a McDonald’s Drive-Thru nationwide for a meal, earning the franchise a spot in the Malaysia Book of Records.

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  • Pizza Hut Malaysia Plans More Store Openings

    Pizza Hut Malaysia Plans More Store Openings

    The 400th Pizza Hut Malaysia store has opened at Central I-City Shah Alam.

    To celebrate the landmark moment in the franchise’s history, Pizza Hut is giving 4000 pizzas to diners, as well as an additional 400 pizzas to 10 local charities. It was also selling its personal-sized pizzas for just RM4 (around US$1) at the end of last month.

    A statement by COO Loi Liang Tok revealed that the brand intends to open its 408th store by the end of the year, with new locations in Sabah, Sarawak, Perak and Penang. The brand is also rolling out an upgraded serving system in its fast casual delco stores, equipped with faster food preparation equipment and some self-service features.

    “The expansion of offerings through our new store format and the enhancements of our existing stores enable us to up our ante in staying relevant and help us to serve our community better,”

    QSR Brands MD Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azahari Mohamed Kamilw, “while offering vibrant dining experiences and staying delightful.”

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  • Creditor Maybank Terminates Collaboration Deal

    Creditor Maybank Terminates Collaboration Deal

    Hyflux said that creditor Maybank was terminating its collaboration agreement with the troubled Singapore water infrastructure player with immediate effect due to its failure to reach a binding deal with a bidder or investor.

    This constitutes a breach which is incapable of remedy under the collaboration agreement,» the letter said, according to the Hyflux filing. In addition, Maybank has sent notices to Singapore water regulator PUB and the Energy Market Authority of Singapore, Hyflux said.

    «These notices are in respect of an enforcement event and acceleration of the maturity of all amounts owing under the Tuaspring financing documents,» Hyflux said in the filing. «Maybank has also stated its intention to appoint receivers and managers over the assets of Tuaspring save for the desalination plant and shared infrastructure.» Maybank’s loans to Hyflux were substantial: A CGS-CIMB research note from August said that the exposure was at S$658.6 million as of the end of the first half of last year.

    The Malaysian bank had agreed to hold off on enforcement action against Hyflux on the condition that the Singapore company would execute a deal with a successful bidder or investor which would fully settle with Maybank. A deal had appeared within reach and Maybank had provided Hyflux with multiple deadline extensions of their agreement.

    SM Investments, a consortium of the Salim Group and the Medco Group, had entered a binding agreement in October to invest S$530 million for a 60 percent stake in Hyflux, which had filed for court protection in May. Hyflux had said the oversupply of gas in Singapore’s market had resulted in depressed electricity prices, which hit earnings in 2017 and drove losses in the first quarter of 2018.

    But in early April, Hyflux terminated the deal, saying it had «no confidence» that SM Investments would complete the investment after the Indonesian consortium failed to provide a written commitment it would do so.

    The deal’s termination led to Singapore’s water regulator PUB rescinding its extension of the default cure period for the contractual obligations of Hyflux’s Tuaspring Desalination Plant. Last Wednesday, PUB issued a notice to Hyflux that it would terminate its water purchase agreement (WPA) and take over the plant.

    Maybank’s move was likely to mark another headache for Hyflux: «The termination of the collaboration agreement is expected to have a material impact on the financial performance of the group,» Hyflux said.

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  • Indonesian Fintech Launches First Debt Services in Malaysia

    Indonesian Fintech Launches First Debt Services in Malaysia

    A fintech specialized in solving debt problems of consumers and business owners has launched its services in Malaysia, a country whose total overdue consumer loans is second highest in Southeast Asia.

    Indonesian Fintech amalan International announced on Wednesday that it has started operations in Malaysia, expanding its footprints in Indonesia and Singapore. In Malaysia, the total balance of overdue or almost overdue consumer loans is estimated to be $15 billion, the second highest in Southeast Asia.

    «In many cases, amalan is able to reduce the outstanding balance and/or the monthly installments by 50 to 90 percent in Indonesia – this would be also our target for our Malaysian clients. We want to offer a fresh start to our clients so that they can build a better financial future,» says amalan’s founder and CEO, Arne Hartmann in a statement to the media.

    amalan says that its key differentiator lies in working for borrowers to find the best solution with their lenders. As a social enterprise, amalan does not ask for upfront fees and instead uses a success fee model where the borrower only needs to pay after a restructuring plan has been agreed. The amount of the success fee is based on the savings generated through the restructuring.

    So far, the fintech said it has restructured more than 1,000 loans with all major banks in Indonesia and saved its clients more than $800,000 in the process.

    For each borrower, a restructuring plan is generated that takes into account all of the borrower’s loans to then reduce the debt balance and the monthly installments to an affordable level. These debt management programs use proprietary data and technology to get the borrowers out of debt faster, paying less.

    amlan Indonesia was selected as one of the 30 best start-ups in MaGIC (Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Center), a business accelerator program of the Malaysian government.

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  • Ramadan an opportunity for E-Commerce Retailers

    Ramadan an opportunity for E-Commerce Retailers

    Online sales in Malaysia and Indonesia are set to boom in the lead up to – and during – Ramadan, according to an analysis by advertising platform Criteo. Based on data from last year’s festival – which ran from May 15 to June 14, consumer activity typically slowed at the start and end of the period.

    However, while this could be a result of consumers focusing more on the actual festivities during those times, online retail sales surged 10 days into Ramadan and lasted through the two weeks before Eid al-Fitr on 15 June.

    A 57 per cent uplift in online retail sales was observed on June 4, Criteo revealed.

    By comparison, shoppers in the Middle East typically shop early into the season and slow down closer to Eid al-Fitr to focus on celebrations. Online retail sales surged early, reaching a 106 per cent uplift on May 26. The shopping behaviour during Ramadan in Turkey mirrored that in Malaysia and Indonesia, with online retail sales reaching a peak at 50 per cent uplift a week before Eid al-Fitr.

    “Ramadan represents a notable cultural shift in consumer behaviour, with the Middle East and Southeast Asia being key regions,” said Criteo SEA-Pacific MD said Alban Villani. “Moreover, the global Islamic economy is also growing year-on-year, estimated to reach US$3 trillion by 2023.

    “Given the growth potential of the halal industry, retailers should leverage Ramadan to engage Muslim shoppers,” continued Villani. “They should start reaching out to shoppers early with the relevant messaging two weeks earlier, especially when shoppers are thinking of buying gifts for family and friends. As some shoppers might purchase later into the festive season, retailers should continue engaging them with special offers and personalised content throughout Ramadan to optimise their campaign efforts. By doing so, it is easier for retailers to stay top-of-mind when shoppers are ready to buy gifts to share the festive joy.”

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  • Sogo opens at Shah Alam’s Central I-City

    Sogo opens at Shah Alam’s Central I-City

    A second Sogo Malaysia department store has launched at Central I-City shopping centre in Shah Alam, Selangor.
    The new four-storey store, designed according to a distinctive Japanese aesthetic, features 18,581sqm of retail space and more than 400 brands in a wide variety of product categories.

    “Aside from purchasing beauty products on the ground floor, shoppers can get their manicure, pedicure and waxing done at the Smooch Waxing Studio,” said Sogo Malaysia group COO Raymond Teo. “There is also the Prinz Classic Barbershop on the second level, while the shoe and bag spa is at the ladies’ shoes section on the first floor. We also have cafes for those who want to chill out without having to leave the department store.”

    A range of promotions, redemptions and activities are being held to celebrate the launch.

    “This year marks our 25th anniversary and the opening of this store is an important milestone for us,” said Sogo Malaysia CEO Toh Peng Koon. “Opening Sogo in Central I-City is not only to cater to the needs of the Shah Alam community and beyond but also to be nearer and engage more with them.”
    “We are opening two new stores this month,” he added. “After Sogo Central I-City, it will be Sogo The Mall in Mid Valley Southkey, Johor Baru, on April 23.”

    By 2022, Sogo should have expanded its total network to six stores with a total retail space of 222,967sqm, which includes Prai Megamall in Penang, Selayang, Terengganu, and the first Seibu department store at the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) Lifestyle Precinct in Kuala Lumpur.

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  • Tesco Asia sales fall after restructuring

    Tesco Asia sales fall after restructuring

    Tesco Asia like-for-like sales fell 6.2 per cent last year, but the decline eased to 3 per cent in the fourth quarter as restructuring of the Thai business took effect.

    UK-headquartered grocery retailer Tesco Group included the results of its Tesco Asia operations in its annual results filing released yesterday.

    Tesco Asia’s operating profit for the year was £286 million (US$374.9 million), down 4.3 per cent. But the company commented that supplier negotiations have concluded and the significant restructuring is now complete, paving the way for improved results in the year ahead.

    “In the first half, profit was impacted by the combined effect of sales deleverage, price investment and repositioning of promotional investment in Thailand,” the company said. “Performance improved significantly during the second half as we successfully concluded renegotiations with our suppliers and accelerated plans to restructure our store and office operations in Thailand. As a result, we have been able to recover our operating margin more fully and quickly than we had anticipated at the half-year stage.”

    Total sales in Asia – where it operates Tesco Lotus in Thailand and Tesco hypermarkets in Malaysia, were down 1.6 per cent, after excluding sales taxes and fuel. The company achieved £4.055 billion in sales in Thailand and £818 million in Malaysia.

    Tesco Asia opened two stores in Malaysia and 70 in Thailand during the year. It closed one in Malaysia and 56 in Thailand, leaving a net total of 73 and 1965 respectively, which accounts for almost a third of Tesco Group’s global network of 6270 stores.

    Globally, Tesco Group achieved a 28.8 per cent increase in pre-tax profit to £1.67 billion, which GlobalData retail analyst Thomas Brereton said was evidence of the success of CEO David Lewis’ turnaround plan, now four years in.

    ‘‘Tesco’s strong full-year announcement today produced a flurry of appealing results,” said Brereton.

    “Shareholders … should be feeling extremely confident that Tesco will be one of the better-performing supermarkets for the rest of this year.”

    He said Lewis has lived up to his nickname of ‘Drastic Dave’ at Tesco, “mercilessly streamlining the business over the past four years, ditching divisions that obstruct the group from reaching the promised operating margin level”.

    But Brereton said Lewis now faced a challenge of what to do next, having almost achieved every single five-year target set four years ago when he took control of the then-struggling business.

    “Tesco now needs to set itself some new objectives.”

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  • AirAsia’s Penang-Melaka flights to start Early July

    AirAsia’s Penang-Melaka flights to start Early July

    AirAsia will begin its new direct flight from Penang to Melaka on July 1, 2019. The budget airline said the flights would boost tourist arrivals to Melaka, helping to support the state government’s target to attract 20 million visitors in 2019.

    In a statement today, AirAsia said in its quest to celebrate this milestone, the airline is offering free seats for the new route with all-in member fares from as low as RM12 for one-way travel.

    Chief executive officer Riad Asmat said with its Unesco world heritage listing and rich history, Melaka is a choice tourist destination in Malaysia.

    “This new route further strengthens our tourism footprint in Malaysia, providing more options for international visitors to travel between the states of Penang and Melaka.

    “We look forward to continuing our work to explore even more new routes to Melaka from other parts of our Asean network,” he said.

    To mark the occasion, AirAsia is offering its guests up to 50% off hotels in Melaka or Penang, and an extra 5% off using the promo code HOTEL5.

    To book, log in to airasia.com or the AirAsia mobile app from now until April 21, 2019 and travel from July 1, 2019 to June 2, 2020. “To book for hotel in Penang and Melaka, you can visit https://bagasi.my/hotel for more recommended stays.”

  • Ashley Furniture HomeStore Opens Largest Flagship Store in Kuala Lumpur

    Ashley Furniture HomeStore Opens Largest Flagship Store in Kuala Lumpur

    World No.1 selling furniture store brand, Ashley Furniture HomeStore, celebrated the grand opening of its largest flagship HomeStore in Quill City Mall today.

    Owned and operated by HAUSLIFE Furniture Sdn Bhd (HAUSLIFE), the sole licensee and operator of Ashley Furniture in Peninsular Malaysia, Ashley Furniture HomeStore at Quill City Mall marks the company’s fourth store in Malaysia.

    The 1300 square meter HomeStore’s interior architectural design include Ashley Lifestyle collections – ‘Family Spaces’. ‘Vintage Casual’, ‘Urbanology’, ‘New Traditions’ and ‘Contemporary Living’; meandering walkway through the showroom as well as unique and inspiring wall finishes. Product categories include upholstery set, bedroom set, dining room, home office, recliners, mattresses and accessories.

    Yu Kong Ching, Founder and CEO of HAUSLIFE, said, “Clearly, Ashley’s brand of furniture products have struck a chord amongst Malaysian consumers and this is reflected in the tangible growth of the brand’s presence here in Malaysia.”

    “The opening of this flagship store is also a testament to HAUSLIFE’s commitment, dedication and know-how in strengthening Ashley Furniture’s continued success in Malaysia in terms of market share and brand recognition.”

    According to Yu, HAUSLIFE aims to open eight (8) Ashley Furniture HomeStores by 2022. “There is still a lot of room for us to grow in the Malaysian market, more so as we see an ever-growing demand for quality, value, style and excellent service by discerning consumers in the retail furniture market,” Yu added.

    Speaking at the launch of Ashley Furniture HomeStore Quill City Mall today, Mr Robin Lim, VP sales of Asia for Ashley Furniture HomeStore, said, “We are excited to see the Ashley brand expanding aggressively in Malaysia. The ASEAN region, including Malaysia, is essential to Ashley Furniture’s global growth plans.”

    Comprehensive E-commerce platform

    In tandem with the global trend towards embracing the digital lifestyle, Ashley Furniture HomeStore recently launched its e-commerce platform only for the Malaysian market. Developed to be user-friendly yet feature-packed with great deals, this online platform allows Ashley’s customers from all over Peninsular Malaysia to purchase Ashley products from authorized retailer online.

    Exclusive Affiliate Program for Interior Designers

    HAUSLIFE Interior Designer Affiliate (HIDA), an incentive program custom-built by HAUSLIFE for interior designers, was launched in 2015 With over 215 affiliates, HIDA aims to empower interior designers today to have the mean to realise their creative vision and make life better. The program brings lots of benefits including exclusive deals on Ashley and HAUSLIFE products as well as access to new and selected products.

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  • Sunway Pyramid Launches First Real-Time Indoor Navigation Mobile App In Malaysia

    Sunway Pyramid Launches First Real-Time Indoor Navigation Mobile App In Malaysia

    Navigating through a shopping mall has never been this easy – and rewarding! The newly launched Sunway Pyramid Mobile app is the very first shopping mall app with real-time in-mall navigation, set to revolutionise the shopping experience.

    With over 1,000 exciting specialty stores available in Sunway Pyramid, making one’s way around the 1.8 million sq ft of space that spans over four main shopping levels can prove to be quite the challenge.

    Sunway Pyramid is working closely with the Google Indoor Maps team to integrate their mobile app with Google’s map engine for the upcoming versions of the app – shoppers can say goodbye to spending more time searching for a physical counter or directory to get to their desired location.

    “As a shopping mall that listens to the needs of our customers, this is a great way to provide them with peace of mind as well as personalized content and exclusive rewards & offers for a better and more enjoyable experience – all at their fingertips. We hope that the introduction of the Sunway Pyramid Mobile App gives them more reason to continue choosing us as their preferred lifestyle destination,” said Kevin Tan, Chief Operating Officer of Sunway Malls.

    That’s not all as shoppers will be rewarded for their usage of the app, giving them better value for their time spent in the mall. App-exclusive rewards await them at participating tenants such as YSL, Laneige, Sulwhasoo, Yves Rocher, Chanel, Dorothy Perkins, Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, Burton Menswear London, Nelissa Hilman, Hush Puppies, Love Bonito, JD Sports, NY Steak Shack, Genki Sushi, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Mr Roti Canai, Brotzeit, O.W.L, Gem Studio and Tomei.

    The fun does not stop there, as users can take a quiz in the app to determine their shopping persona. Find out if you are a Trendsetter, Digital Genius, Family Hero, Smart Spender or Golden Groover by answering a few simple questions – this information along with the shoppers’ navigation patterns, redemption and browsing behaviour will be considered to further personalise content that is relevant and targeted for each user.

    To find out more about what the Sunway Pyramid Mobile app can do, shoppers can join in the fun by visiting the on-ground event at the Water Feature on G Floor from 12-28 April.

    Upon downloading the app and registering, shoppers can scan their Member ID to enjoy rewards and gifts such as samples from Laneige, L’occitane, Clinique, Sulwhasoo, cash vouchers from Genki Sushi, complimentary milkshakes from NY Steak Shack and shopping vouchers amongst many others. Other activities include multiple photo op areas with a photo booth and even a relaxation lounge with massage chairs!

    The Sunway Pyramid Mobile App will be available for download via the Google Play Store and Apple AppStore on 12 April 2019. For a full tutorial on how to use the app, please visit YouTube link here.

  • ShopBack Secures Fresh New Funding

    ShopBack Secures Fresh New Funding

    Rewards program ShopBack has secured a further US$45 million in its latest funding round.

    Joining the shareholders’ register are newcomers including Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten, EV Growth, and EDBI, a Singapore government-linked strategic investor.

    Amit Patel, CEO of Rakuten subsidiary Ebates and Willson Cuaca, managing partner at EV Growth, will join ShopBack’s board of directors. The new funding round takes the total investment in Shopback to $83 million.

    ShopBack has recently been expanding its core services beyond its original cashback service for online shoppers. Among them, Shopback Go, in partnership with Visa and Mastercard, which enables users to dine out and earn rewards.

    Last year, ShopBack experienced 250 per cent year-on-year growth in both orders and sales. The company powered more than 2.5 million monthly transactions for more than 7 million users in seven Asia-Pacific markets, and delivering close to $1 billion sales for more than 2000 merchant partners, both online and offline.

    ShopBack also entered Australia last year, its first market outside Asia, and opened research and development hubs in Vietnam and Taiwan.

    The company says the fresh funding will be invested in “simplifying shopping experiences, expanding data capabilities to fuel personalisation and business insights, as well as accelerating growth in key markets”.

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  • Malaysian bakery Lavender Singapore Opens Its Doors

    Malaysian bakery Lavender Singapore Opens Its Doors

    Malaysian bakery Lavender is opening at Jewel Changi in Singapore this week.

    Set to open on Thursday (April 11), the store will sell Lavender’s buns, French-style choux cream puffs, and house-made pandan kaya.

    Located next to the 40m-high Rain Vortex waterfall, the outlet offers takeaway-only baked goods.

    “We try to stay competitive with prices so all our customers can enjoy our products and taste the difference in quality,” a Lavender bakery representative said.

    “Prices will definitely be different to Malaysia’s as overheads like rent, salaries and material costs will all be in Singapore dollars.”

    Malaysian bakery Lavender has six outlets in Kuala Lumpur and five in Johor Bahru, including a multi-storey flagship at Taman Pelangi.

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