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Tag: Malaysia

  • American bistro TR Fire Grill debuts in Malaysia

    American bistro TR Fire Grill debuts in Malaysia

    In its first overseas venture, American restaurant chain TR Fire Grill has launched in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

    Owned by Romacorp restaurant group, the award-winning concept first opened in Florida in November 2015. Its Malaysian business is owned and run by Pier Seafood, a wholly owned subsidiary of Revenue Valley, which already has a Romacorp brand, Tony Roma’s, run through its Grand Companions subsidiary.

    “Our chef-driven aesthetic uses local ingredients and flavours,” says Romacorp president/CEO Bradley Scher. The company also has a TR Fire Grill bistro in Hawaii.

    Meats and vegetables are smoked in-house daily using hickory wood. Its steaks are free of antibiotics, hormones or genetically modified organisms. Sauces and specialty condiments are made in-house, and craft cocktails are made with liquors aged in small oak barrels or infused with fresh fruit and spices.

    Seating more than 180 guests, the restaurant has a cigar room and a full bar.

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  • AirAsia May Launch Hua Hin Flights

    AirAsia May Launch Hua Hin Flights

    Malaysia’s AirAsia has indicated the possibility of launching the first regular international flight to Hua Hin in December.

    The no-frills carrier intends to offer a daily service from Kuala Lumpur airport 2 (Klia2) to Hua Hin airport with Airbus A320 narrow-body jets.

    The plans can only be confirmed once the Ministry of Transport approves a package of incentives that the airline has requested to make the flight viable, Darun Saengchai, director general of the Department of Airports, told the Bangkok Post yesterday.

    He did not disclose when the approval is expected, saying only that it should not take too long if the airline is to meet the planned launch date.

    He also did not specify the extent of incentives AirAsia asked for, but insisted that they will not be exclusive to the Malaysian airline, but also offered to others wanting to start international flights to Hua Hin.

    Insiders yesterday confirmed to the Post that AirAsia asked departments to waive parking and landing fees and halve the passenger service charge (airport tax), which is at 400 baht for international passengers, for up to five years and reduce office space rental charges at the airport.

    AirAsia has also asked for a US$15 (500 baht) cash incentive for each international passenger it brings on the flight.

    Officials from local government, state agencies and the private sector held a meeting last week in the district of Prachuap Khiri Khan to make arrangements for the planned AirAsia flight launch.

    AirAsia yesterday would not confirm details of its planned Hua Hin flight launch.

    The department, local authorities and the Hua Hin tourism and hospitality industry are enthusiastic about AirAsia’s plan, which will address the lack of regular commercial flights to the vacation destination.

    Commercial air services to Hua Hin were sporadic in the past, and airlines retreated due to inadequate passenger traffic volumes.

    Thailand’s commuter airline Kan Air was the last to stop its limited domestic flights to Hua Hin early this year due to aircraft issues.

    Earlier, no-frills Thai Lion Air dropped its Hat Yai-Hua Hin flights.

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  • Cartier launches Pavilion KL store

    Cartier launches Pavilion KL store

    Fine jewellery retailer Cartier has unveiled its newest store in Kuala Lumpur.

    Located at the Pavilion KL, the French maison’s two-storey duplex boutique is set on Level 2 and Level 3.

    Designed to emulate the Cartier flagship, the Bukit Bintang entrance features a 3-storey LED display that lights like liquid gold.

    Inside, the High Jewellery Salon serves as exclusive addition to the store, a jewellery-first for the high-end brand with the KL store being the first in South East Asia to offer this luxurious shopping experience.

    Meanwhile, a carpeted marble staircase leads connects the top to the lower floor, which houses the latest collections and the Accessories Salon, as well as the debut Cartier Client Service Counter in Malaysia.

    The boutique also offers big spenders to opt for a VIP salon to shop in privacy.

    Cartier is slowly becoming more active in Asia’s retail landscape. In January, Cartier unveiled its first pop-up boutique at the Macau Four Seasons T Galleria by DFS.

    In December last year, the Paris-based brand announced the opening of its flagship in Ginza in Japan. The 10,764-square-foot retail location first opened in 2003 and was refurbished in 2007.

  • 4Fingers eyes expansion in Malaysia

    4Fingers eyes expansion in Malaysia

    Singaporean fast-casual restaurant chain 4Fingers plans to open 20 outlets in Malaysia over the next four to five years.

    With its fourth store in Malaysia just opened in Berjaya Times Square, the company’s expansion plans also extend to Asia Pacific.

    “We are certainly exploring the right, accessible areas where our chicken will be in demand,” says CEO Steen Puggaard.

    In just four years, 4Fingers has grown from one to 21 outlets, including Australia and Indonesia. It also has Europe and the US on its radar.

    With RM3.2 million (US$740,000) invested in its first four Malaysian outlets, it is seeking further leases to meet the country’s growing demand for fried chicken, says Puggaard. “With customers also asking for 4Fingers to be delivered to their doorstep, we are exploring having a delivery service as well.”

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  • Oppo Malaysia launches flagship at Suria KLCC

    Oppo Malaysia launches flagship at Suria KLCC

    Chinese phone brand Oppo Malaysia has officially launched its first flagship store for Southeast Asia at Suria KLCC.

    As a special service, customers can have their Oppo devices engraved. Shoppers who buy a phone in store are not charged for the laser-engraving service.

    On the mall’s third floor, the store has an interior of silver-grey aluminum composite panels with white oak wood touches, soft film ceiling and a grey sofa.

    “Malaysia has always been a key market for Oppo,” says Oppo Malaysia sales director Garry Gong. During its three years in Malaysia, the brand has been learning, adapting and improving its services, he says.

    With a focus on customer experience, the new store also offers printing services for photos taken with Oppo camera phones.

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  • 18th​ ​APRCE 2017 to address new retail trends and issues in Asia-Pacific’s largest retail event

    18th​ ​APRCE 2017 to address new retail trends and issues in Asia-Pacific’s largest retail event

    The 18th Asia-Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition (APRCE) will take place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from October 25 to 27, 2017. About 3,000 delegates from 18 countries are expected at Asia Pacific’s largest retail event which is held once every two years.
    Organised by the Malaysia Retailers Association (MRA) and endorsed by Federation of AsiaPacific Retailers Associations (FAPRA), the theme of the 18th APRCE 2017 is “Transformation, Creativity and Beyond”.
    Key global retailers are expected at this event which will spearhead a re-think on retail and how to drive change through innovation, transformation and staying ahead of the pack for business success. It will explore opportunities to capture the next decade of discerning digitised customers.
    World-class speakers, retail leaders and solution providers from the US, UK, Japan, China, Korea and, of course, Malaysia will share their business success stories, new retail trends, ways to retail excellence and e-commerce trends and challenges in retailing, among others.
    Among the 22 speakers at the 18th APRCE2017 are: Mr Howard Saunders, Retail Futurist, Twenty Second and Fifth Ltd, US; Mr Christopher Sanderson, Co-Founder, Future Lab United Kingdom; Mr Motoya Okada, President and CEO, AEON Co. Ltd; Mr Benjamin Yong, Founder and Group Chief Eating Officer of the BIG Group, Malaysia; Mr Hoseok Kim, CEO of Celcom Planet Sdn Bhd (11Street), Malaysia; Ms Michelle Grant, Head of Retailing at Euromonitor International, US; Mr Chan Kok Long, Co-Founder & Executive Director of IPay88 Sdn Bhd, Malaysia; Mr Roger Wang, Chairman of Golden Eagle International Group, China and Mr Chen Xiaodong, CEO of Intime Retail Group, China.
    The delegates attending 
    According to APRCE 2017 Organising Chairman, Mr James Loke, about 1,300 foreign delegates have confirmed their attendance. They include those from Japan, China, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and other FAPRA-recognised national retail trade organisations such as in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Mongolia, Turkey and Fiji.
    The event is the perfect focal point for international networking, and Malaysia, as the host, is the ideal location to mix business with leisure. Representatives from Asia-Pacific will be converging here to exchange ideas, connect with suppliers, seek business opportunities and network.
    The 18th APRCE 2017 is supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, and the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB).
    How APRCE started 
    Since 1983, APRCE has been the main activity of the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Associations (FAPRA), which has 18 association members from 18 countries. It is the longest running biennial retail conference in Asia-Pacific. The host country is selected by FAPRA members through a bidding process held every 2 years.
    For the record, the 17th APRCE 2015 was held in Manila, Philippines while the 16 th APRCE 2013 took place in Istanbul, Turkey. The 18th APRCE 2017 will bring together participants to learn, discover and network, and make meaningful connections with other industry professionals. It will also highlight innovative solutions to help retailers differentiate themselves from their competitors.
  • SuperAnt helps businesses to go digital

    SuperAnt helps businesses to go digital

    Malaysian company SuperAnt has been appointed as the Official Digital Partner for the 18th APRCE 2017 Kuala Lumpur. The longest running biennial regional retail conference in Asia-Pacific that debuted in 1983 in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan. APRCE is organised by the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Associations (FAPRA) that has 18 association members from 18 countries, of which will all come together to discover the newest approaches to the latest issues faced by the region’s retailers.

    Malaysia Retailers Association (MRA) have signed a memorandum of understanding with SuperAnt that appoints the latter as the Official Digital Partner for the 18th Asia-Pacific Retailers Convention & Exhibition (APRCE). Hosted by MRA, APRCE will welcome 3,000 APAC delegates in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from October 25 till 27.

    The ticket for APAC retailers to enter the era of Big Data and Digital Marketing

    APRCE highlights innovative solutions to help the retail industry embrace technology advancements and deliver greater value to the Asia-Pacific region’s consumers. This event will be the perfect focal point for international networking as renowned retail practitioners and speakers will be speaking about core retail topics and exciting new retail concepts, calling forth to discover compelling new ways of retail marketing of both the traditional and digital spectrums.

    SuperAnt will be gracing the event by providing seamless digital check-in procedures, engaging mobile application, digital media solutions and Internet of Things (IoT) utilization throughout the event.

    Intra-ASEAN business opportunities

    SuperAnt allows businesses to expand to other countries via digital marketing and B2B2C. SuperAnt is a Southeast Asia-focused technology company that has presence in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Specializing in key areas including Big Data, Internet of Things(IoT), digital marketing services and B2B2C.

    Experienced in localisation, SuperAnt can provide digital insights and customised solutions that are catered for business expansions abroad. Localisation is key to penetrate any market today.

    Providing a fundamental technology ecosystem that optimizes the accessibility of technology to everyone, SuperAnt aspires to make it easy and affordable for businesses to Go Digital.

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  • AirAsia X Malaysia passengers up to 1.39 million

    AirAsia X Malaysia passengers up to 1.39 million

    AirAsia X  carried slightly more than a third more passengers in the second quarter (Q2) ended June 30 compared with a year earlier, with the total distance travelled by these passengers expanding by about the same percentage.

    Announcing its preliminary operating statistics yesterday, the long-haul budget carrier said operating performance in the period trended slightly above expectations despite Q2 historically being the leanest quarter.

    The number of passengers who flew with AAX Malaysia grew 34.4% to 1.39 million compared to a year earlier, while revenue passenger kilometres grew 35.0% to 6.79 billion.

    “The company continues to stimulate demand to fill up additional capacity injected in Q2 by achieving a marked improvement in passenger load factor of 80%, up five percentage points (ppts) year-on-year (y-o-y), in line with the 26% y-o-y growth in available seat kilometres to 8.45 billion in the quarter,” AAX said.

    During the quarter under review, AAX Malaysia added frequency to two routes: Kuala Lumpur–Shanghai and Osaka.

    AAX Malaysia also added Honolulu to its network during the quarter under review, the airline’s maiden service to the United States.

    No new aircraft was added in the period, so the fleet size stood at 22 A330s.

    On the associates, it said AAX Thailand recorded a strong passenger load factor of 92%, an increase of three ppts from 89% a year ago.

    AAX Thailand carried 387,959 passengers in Q2, 26% higher than the same period last year. There is no new route or frequency for AAX Thailand’s network in the quarter.

  • A Popular Malaysian Based Boutique For Muslim Woman is Expanding International

    A Popular Malaysian Based Boutique For Muslim Woman is Expanding International

    Lanafira has announced that it is offering a wide range of long dresses for Muslim women around the world. The Malaysian based company has already created a major buzz in the Malaysian and South East Asian market and it is now expanding its brand to the international market. The Muslimah Long Dress collection offered by Malaysia’s finest boutique are becoming the top choice of Muslim ladies and the brand has also introduced an e-Store where women can shop these dresses online with ease.

    “We are proudly introducing a new collection with fresh arrival coming regularly for our Muslim sisters worldwide.” Said the spokesperson of Lanafira while introducing the Long Dress Muslimah range. “The Long Dress Muslimah can be easily ordered online and we are offering these dresses with a variety of designs and colors.” She added. The Muslimah online boutique also receives large orders from an increasing number of international distributors from Europe and North America where such long dress are high in demand, particularly from the Muslim ladies.

    With a slogan of ‘A Style for Every Story’, Lanafira has made a major launch internationally. Most of the Muslim women ordering these dresses range from the age groups of 20 to 40 years old. However, younger and older women are loving these dresses alike. The Muslimah Long Dress for sale at the online store of Lanafira features a wide range of designs that are universally popular and high in demand.

    Another amazing fact about the Muslimah long dress range introduced worldwide by Lanafira’s online store is the competitive price of each dress with high affordability. The traditional Muslim style along with the modern designing makes these long Muslimah dresses a perfect blend of fashion and grace for the women worldwide. Moreover, besides the Muslim women, these dresses are also getting increasingly popular among the non-Muslim women as well due to their elegance and style.

    Some of the Muslimah long dresses for sale at the online store of Lanafira include Mellisa Long Dress in several color with its increasingly popular wide range, Alana Kebaya, Pucci Long Dress, Sofea Modern Perplum and much more. All these designs are offered in several colors and are loved by the women who wear them. The company also offers free delivery across Malaysia and has an overwhelming presence on the social media to interact with the customers.

    In addition, Lanafira also features an informative newsletter on its website to keep its customers updated. The feedback and reviews received by the boutique have been phenomenal and women have simply loved these dresses. The testimonials received by the company reflect the level of trust and satisfaction from its customers and they have declared it the best Muslim dress making boutique available online in Malaysia.

    For more information and to get your Muslimah Long Dresses by Lanafira

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  • Lanvin opens menswear store in Kuala Lumpur

    Lanvin opens menswear store in Kuala Lumpur

    Lanvin has opened its first flagship store in Malaysia, with an emphasis on the French maison’s men’s fashion and women’s accessories collections.

    Located at the Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur, the store covers 2040 square feet of floor space and is situated on level 2 of the prestigious mall.

    The store features Lanvin’s signature retail design accenting sleek interiors with cream-coloured shelves and marble floors, largely minimalist with an emphasis on the high-end clothing and accessories.

    Focused on Lanvin’s male customer, the shop boasts a range of men’s formalwear, black tie suiting, casualwear, as well as a skater and sneaker offerings from Lanvin’s Pre-Fall Collection.

    For women, Lanvin Kuala Lumpur also carries the latest women’s accessories including bags and leathergoods. It has not been disclosed if the French luxury brand has plans to open a women’s store in the Malaysian capital.

    Lanvin retail sales have faced difficulty the past two years ever since the house’s Taiwanese owner Madame Shaw abruptly sacked Alber Elbaz, its long-serving and critically acclaimed creative director.

    Shaw appointed Bouchra Jarrar, but the new designer head failed to turn fashion into revenues in her sixteen-month tenure.

    In a turnaround move last week, Lanvin named Olivier Lapidus to be its new artistic director, replacing Jarrar just four days after she was fired.

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  • Axiata, iflix sign non-binding MoU

    Axiata, iflix sign non-binding MoU

    Axiata Group and iflix, a subscription video on demand service provider, have inked a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relating to the expansion of their strategic collaboration to provide entertainment to Axiata’s more than 125 million customers in six countries.

    In a statement, Axiata said from two existing successful partnerships with Celcom in Malaysia and Dialog in Sri Lanka, the regional collaboration is intended to extend to Axiata’s customers at XL in Indonesia, Smart in Cambodia, Robi in Bangaldesh and Ncell in Nepal.

    “Axiata has always demonstrated a strong focus on customer experience and innovation, as we strengthen our position in new sources of value, specifically in digital entertainment products and digital content distribution platforms across the region.

    “The expansion of our collaboration with iflix is a testament to that commitment. We are thrilled to make iflix’s world-class service and content available to over 125 million customers in Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka,” Axiata group chief strategy and marketing officer Dominic Arena said.

    Axiata said the collaboration would further strengthen the group’s leading regional telecommunications position.

    Meanwhile, iflix group chief executive officer Mark Britt said it was committed to provide all Axiata customers with unlimited access to the world’s best TV shows and movies through an exceptional user experience and unparalleled service, already enjoyed by Celcom and Dialog customers.

    “Together with Axiata’s highly innovative and award winning Mobile Internet Fulfilment Exchange application platform and music service Yonder, we look forward to working with Axiata to further redefine media and entertainment for Axiata’s customers in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Nepal, over the coming months,” he said.

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  • Tencent Holdings targets Malaysia for local payments

    Tencent Holdings targets Malaysia for local payments

    Tencent Holdings has applied for a licence in Malaysia to offer local payment services via its WeChat Pay, in what would be a first for the platform beyond Mainland China and Hong Kong.

    If approved, users in Malaysia will be able to link their bank accounts to the service and pay for goods and services in ringgit.

    Tencent has chosen Malaysia as a test bed because of its large Chinese community, says WeChat Pay global director Grace Yin.

    The company has more than 600 million monthly users of its QQ Wallet and WeChat Pay, which is embedded in social-media app WeChat, which has 938 million active users. Rival Alipay says it has more than 450 million active users.

    WeChat Pay and Alipay dominate China’s mobile banking market, which had RMB18.8 trillion (US$2.76 trillion) worth of transactions in the first three months of this year, according to consultancy Analysys.

    Silicon Valley startup Stripe this week said it has partnered with the two companies to allow its merchants worldwide to accept payments from Chinese consumers.

    WeChat Pay can be used at more than 130,000 shops in 13 foreign markets, including Japan, and supports 10 currencies. Yin says to expand overseas, WeChat Pay needs extra layers of regulatory approval, as well as having to explain the system to local businesses.

    Mandarin advertisements

    Meanwhile, seeing Thailand as central to its expansion across Southeast Asia, Tencent is putting an early focus on advertising Thai brands to Chinese tourists in Mandarin.

    Tencent Thailand MD Krittee Manoleehagul says Thailand is the third market to offer service this after Hong Kong and Italy.

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  • iPay88 spreads its wings

    iPay88 spreads its wings

    IPAY88 Sdn Bhd, an NTT Data company, a fully homegrown Malaysian payment gateway provider is targeting the global e-commerce market while it continues to expand in SEA.

    Co-founder and executive director Chan Kok Long says, “iPay88’s proven payment solutions are well recognised and trusted regionally. As e-commerce grows in the SEA region, we are determined to be the sought-after payment gateway for these countries.”

    Since its inception in 2006, iPay88 has grown to be a technological and online payment solutions leader in online payments in Malaysia as well in the Asean region.

    The company’s payment gateway systems support over 70% of all e-commerce businesses in Malaysia. To date, iPay88 has a footprint in almost all Southeast Asian countries including Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Singapore.

    iPay88’s first international footprint was set in Indonesia in 2006, followed by the Philippines in 2014.

    Today, iPay88 is one of the leading payment gateway providers in Indonesia as well as the Philippines.

    Market expansion to a region as diverse as Asean and the Asia Pacific is not easy as each country’s online payment environment is unique and business environment varies.

    The opening of Indonesia and Philippines markets were important milestones for iPay88, as Chan says, “Our successful ventures in these two markets (Indonesia and the Philippines) have acted as a blueprint for us to continue exploring the other Southeast Asian markets.”

    “In the next two years, our growth in Malaysia is expected to be the largest ever in terms online transactions and sales volume. However, our growth in Indonesia and the Philippines will eventually outrank Malaysia in terms of numbers of transactions and sales volumes as these countries have a larger population and growing appetite for e-commerce.”

    According to Chan, the next few years will also see tremendous e-commerce growth in Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar where smartphone penetration is one of the highest in the world.

    These countries have a big population and research shows that the younger generation (gen Y) prefer to make online purchases.

    Their governments are also seeing the potential in e-commerce and encouraging the growth of its e-commerce sector.

    Next step – global expansion

    “Apart from our strong presence in Southeast Asia, we have since expanded our footprint to other parts of Asia including Hong Kong and Bangladesh,” says Chan.

    Chan details that although Bangladesh is a late entrant in the e-commerce sector, the company has observed that it has recorded tremendous growth within a short time.

    “The e-commerce industry in Bangladesh, like other developing countries, has a ‘latecomer advantage’. However, it is encountering similar issues that we have encountered and addressed in SEA. Currently the sector is facing challenges such as delivery channels for its customers, affordability, erratic internet connections and online fraudulence. We believe, in no time will be the next major driver of economic development in Bangladesh.”

    Since iPay88 has just ventured into Bangladesh, no transactions have been recorded yet.

    Besides Bangladesh, iPay88 is also actively looking into opportunities in the Middle East. The company hopes to build a strong presence in Apec by the end of 2018.

    Malaysia continues to lead in revenue contribution

    iPay88 expects its revenue contribution from international markets to increase in accordance to its expansion plans. Chan says he is confident that by the end of this year iPay88 expects to double the sales volume from international markets compared to last year.

    “We are looking at a local:international revenue ratio of 80:20 by the end of 2018,” says Chan.

    iPay88’s Q1 and Q2 revenue in 2017 was contributed mainly by Malaysia.

    While Malaysia still leads in terms of revenue growth, in terms of sales volume, we are seeing a 34% growth in Indonesia for Q1 and Q2 of 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016. The number of transactions in Indonesia also grew by 97% in the same period.

    Meanwhile, the sales volume in the Philippines, surged by 64% and the number of transactions recorded a growth of 44%.

    “Doing business online offers a lower cost of operations from many aspects – the biggest advantage of doing business online is having the capability to span across geographical borders, meaning that you can reach out to possibly more lucrative overseas market easily,” he explains.

    “While these countries grow their e-commerce sector, iPay88 plans to be right there ever ready to aid them with our state-of-the-art and trusted payment platform to ensure fast and secure online payments,” he says.

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  • New routes to help Malaysia Airlines turn around next year

    New routes to help Malaysia Airlines turn around next year

    The expansion of new routes to China, India and North Asia, which is expected to happen in the second half of financial year ending Dec 31, 2018, would be the key to the turnaround story of Malaysian Airlines Bhd (MAB), said chief executive officer Peter Bellew.

    Bellew said MAB was making good progress in its restructuring and the airline just needed another few percentage upside on the yield to be into profit.

    “Our recovery plan is half-way through. In fact, we can say we are little bit ahead (of schedule). And it’s all about revenue and cost control.

    “Taking the right routes, improving the sales and marketing and by increasing the load factors, we should increase the revenue. Next year, we are expected to be able to break even across some of the quarters, start making profit and to show consistent profit in the following year,” Bellew told reporters on the sidelines of Malaysia Aviation Group’s Hari Raya celebration in Sepang on Monday.

    The group comprises its ground-handling unit, AeroDarat Services Sdn Bhd and MAB’s units -–MASWings Sdn Bhd, Firefly Sdn Bhd and MASkargo Sdn Bhd.

    Bellew said expansion of selected new routes throughout this year till 2019 would be a significant step forward for the airline, capitalising on a booming population, increasing middle class and incredible growing economies of China, India, as well as in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

    “We are quite optimistic our fleets would increase a little bit next year and we should improve products on board as well, and overall, would result in beneficial impact to the airline,” he said.

    MAB was reportedly half-way through its US$1.39bil (RM6bil) restructuring exercise which is likely to be completed in five years.

    The exercise was put into place in 2015 during the time of Bellew’s predecessor, Christoph Mueller.

    Bellew took over as MAS CEO on July 1, 2016, after Mueller left citing personal reasons.

    The second phase of the MAB’s restructuring, according to Bellew, involved adding new routes, including 11 routes to China. It launched new routes to Nanjing and Fuzhou last month.

    The coming routes include Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Tianjin, Shenzhen and Shanghai from Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, while the expansion of other new routes are also being considered.

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  • Malaysian retailers urged to go digital

    Malaysian retailers urged to go digital

    The Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA) wants to drive the retail industry to go into the online arena, in line with the government’s aspirations, for better opportunities and to compete better.

    President Datuk Garry Chua said online adoption among Malaysian retailers is still relatively low, but the initiative to start thinking and adopting digital strategies is there. He said members are putting their products for sale online and gauging feedback from online channels.

    “Some of our members have started adopting online initiatives but it takes time to pick up. But it’s a good start. Since the government is bringing in Alibaba, we have to rely on that wave to benefit the retailers and SMEs to the maximum,” he told reporters after opening the MRCA Retail Conference 2017 yesterday.

    He said online sales contribution is growing, but on a gradual mode.

    “This depends on the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ). If it kicks off faster, the process (online sales) will be faster. We’re looking at the next three years (for a pick-up in online sales). Definitely a double-digit growth for online after this,” said Chua.

    Despite the growing importance of e-commerce, he said brick-and-mortar stores will not totally lose its presence.

    “You have to fine tune the balancing game. Countries like the US, Singapore and Malaysia always have a supply of malls, so some have to be wiped out. It’s like a rationalisation process. You can’t have too many, so there’s a balancing of online and offline,” he said.

    He reiterated MRCA’s expectation of a 4.5% growth in retail sales this year, driven by tourism.

    Themed “Retail Innovation: The Future is Now”, the MRCA Retail Conference 2017 discussed shifting retail landscapes, disruptive technology, digital economy, DFTZ and understanding Gen Y, in line with the government’s aspirations of spurring Malaysia’s economic growth by providing cross-border e-trade facilities for SMEs.

    The conference was officiated by International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

    In his speech, Mustapa said the government launched the Productivity Blueprint a couple of months ago and has set up three groups of Productivity Nexus, in which one is a Productivity Nexus for retail and food & beverage (F&B) to be led by the private sector. The Nexus also comprises of organisations such as MRCA, Bumiputra Retail Organisation, Malaysia Franchise Association among others, in partnership with the government.

    “We recognise the importance of the retail and F&B sectors, which employ no less than 2.5 billion people and contribute 8.3% to GDP. Having said that, labour productivity in many of the sectors in the country is one of the lowest, therefore we formed the Productivity Nexus, which is about sharing of best practices,” Mustapa said.

    He added that innovation is important for retailers to move with the times and to be ahead of the curve, with digital being the way forward.

    The MRCA Retail Conference 2017 was held in conjunction with MRCA’s Malaysia International Retail Franchise & Licensing Fair 2017, which starts today.

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