HYPERMARKETS in Malaysia

[adiyon84]

hehe.. really close to my place...

[rizalhakim]

Carrefour Malaysia will not cut jobs


KUALA LUMPUR: Carrefour Malaysia Sdn Bhd will not cut jobs as it plans to further grow its business in the country, said managing director Shafie Shamsuddin.

Seapking after a seminar yesterday, Shafie said Carrefour currently had 4,000 workers in its 17 branches nationwide.

He said Carrefour hoped to get the nod from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to operate more outlets in the country.

”The plan is not only to help small and medium enterprises grow their businesses in Malaysia but also to market their products internationally,” he said.

Shafie said it had dealt with the Bumiputra Manufacturers and Services Industry Association of Malaysia to sell local SMEs’ products in Carrefour’s 20 branches in the Middle East. - Bernama

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Carrefour Malaysia not cutting jobs
Published: 2009/02/23




CARREFOUR Malaysia Sdn Bhd will not cut jobs as the hypermarket plans to further grow its business in the country, says managing director Shafie Shamsuddin.

"There is no plan to cut jobs. As we grow, we need more people. There is no way that we are going to cut any at the moment," he told a media briefing after the seminar on "Opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to market products in the Middle East" in Kuala Lumpur last week.

The seminar was officiated by Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Jelaing Mersat.

Shafie said Carrefour currently has 4,000 workers at its 17 branches nationwide.

He said the hypermarket hopes to get the approval from the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs to operate more outlets in the country.

"We hope to get more licences. We hope the ministry will be able to help us open the outlets so that we can help the SMEs in Malaysia.

"The plan is not only to help them grow their businesses in Malaysia but also to market their products internationally," he said.

Shafie said it has a deal with the Bumiputera Manufacturers and Services Industry Association of Malaysia to sell local SME products in Carrefour's 20 branches in the Middle East.

Carrefour is the number one retailer in Europe and the second-largest retailer in the world. - Bernama

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new tesco at setapak

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Carrefour mahu buka lagi cawangan baru

Oleh Muzdalifah Mustapha
bisnes@utusan.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR 23 Feb. - Carrefour Malaysia Sdn. Bhd tidak berhasrat memberhentikan pekerja sebaliknya bercadang untuk memperluaskan lagi perniagaan dalam negara.

Pengarah Urusannya, Shafie Shamsuddin berkata, pihaknya tidak terlibat dalam sektor yang bercadang untuk memberhentikan pekerja kerana penjualan barangan keperluan tidak begitu terjejas dengan krisis ekonomi dunia.

"Kita telah membuat perancangan untuk menambah lebih pekerja berikutan Carrefour dijangka membuka beberapa lagi cawangan pasar raya kelak.

"Setakat ini pencapaian Carrefour adalah memberangsangkan terutama apabila mendapat peluang memasuki pasaran antarabangsa di Asia Barat," katanya selepas majlis pelancaran Pusat Pengumpulan dan Pengedaran (Dubai Trading House) di sini hari ini.

Sebelum ini, Menteri Sumber Manusia, Datuk Dr. S. Subramaniam menganggarkan kira-kira 45,000 pekerja dari pelbagai sektor pengilangan mungkin kehilangan pekerjaan apabila kebanyakan kilang akan memberhentikan untuk sementara berikutan kegawatan ekonomi global.

Menurut Shafie, Carrefour kini mempunyai lebih 4,000 pekerja daripada 17 cawangan seluruh negara.

Beliau berkata, pihaknya berharap akan mendapat persetujuan daripada Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna untuk membuka lebih cawangan dalam negara tidak lama lagi.

"Diharap pihak kementerian akan mempercepatkan proses yang berkaitan kerana secara tidak langsung Carrefour akan membantu mempertingkatkan industri kecil dan sederhana (IKS) bukan sahaja dalam negara bahkan di luar negara," jelas beliau.

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Harbour Point Business Centre, Port Klang


Location

Jalan Sungai Aur, Port Klang.
Surrounded by a post office, Port Klang bus terminal, Port Klang wet market & food court (situated opposite), KTM commuter station, Pulau Ketam jetty, Immigration office, hospital, police station & financial institutions.

[horizona]

sunshine's first 24hrs hypermart in malaysia

[horizona]

Originally Posted by horizona

sunshine's first 24hrs hypermart in malaysia

now back to normal hours...

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New Tesco store in Kuala Selangor
Published: 2009/02/28





HYPERMARKET operator Tesco Stores (M) Sdn Bhd has opened its newest store in Kuala Selangor, its 29th in Malaysia and the 10th in Selangor.

“It’s been a tough environment with the price of energy, fuel and animal feed hitting the cost of producing food.

But by working with our suppliers and cutting costs in our own business we have kept a lid on inflation and continued to lower prices across the store,” Tesco Malaysia chief executive officer Chris Bush said in a statement.

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Giant rancang buka tiga pasar raya tahun ini
PETALING JAYA 2 Mac - GCH Retail (M) Sdn. Bhd., yang sebelum ini dikenali sebagai Dairy Farm Group, yang mengurus rangkaian pasar raya besar Giant di Malaysia, sedang mengkaji untuk menambah tiga lagi pasar raya besar sebelum akhir tahun.

Pengarah serantau Asia Timur, Dairy Farm International dan pemilik rangkaian pasar raya besar Giant, Datuk John Coyle berkata, mereka akan membuka pasar raya besar itu di Kuala Terengganu, Mid Valley Megamall di Kuala Lumpur dan Taiping.

"Lebih 80 peratus jualan di pasar raya kami di seluruh Malaysia terdiri daripada barangan tempatan," katanya.

Bagi pasar raya di luar negara dan syarikat sekutu kami di Singapura, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan dan Brunei, jualan produk Malaysia juga semakin meningkat," katanya pada pelancaran Kempen Beli Barangan Malaysia, Giant oleh Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Datuk Sharir Abdul Samad di Pasar Raya Besar Giant di Putra Heights, hari ini.

Tahun ini pertumbuhan mungkin perlahan sedikit berikutan keadaan ekonomi yang tidak menentu, katanya.

Beliau berkata, Giant menurunkan harga bagi 25 produk buatan Malaysia terpilih bulan ini. - BERNAMA

[rizalhakim]

Carrefour upbeat on Malaysian operations


KUALA LUMPUR: Carrefour remains optimistic on the performance of its Malaysian operations this year and will continue with expansion plans.

Regional director Eric Garcia said the company was still positive on its sales as Malaysia was not as affected by the global economic crisis as the European countries.

“Consumer spending is still quite positive currently,” he told a press conference after the launch of Carrefour Malaysia’s 10-day small and medium enterprises (SMEs) promotional programme yesterday.

The programme will feature activities such as products promotions, product sampling, live cooking demonstrations and performances.

On Carrefour’s performance in the last six months, Garcia said the local operations did not experience any slowdown in sales, which were still strong.


Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Deputy Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (centre) and Eric Garcia (right) making “coffee tarik” after the launch on Wednesday.

“Our strategy in the hard times is to continuously explore consumer needs and strive to fulfil them,” he said, adding that its product prices were among the lowest in the market.

Garcia said Carrefour’s expansion plans were still on track this year and the hypermarket chain was also exploring business opportunities in east Malaysia. Carrefour currently has 17 outlets in Malaysia.

“We are also waiting for the guidelines from the Government on the hypermarket expansion,” Garcia said. He said Carrefour planned to promote more local products overseas through its global network.

“We have brought local SMEs’ products to France, Dubai and Singapore,” he said.

[rizalhakim]

Hypermarket slashes price


KUANTAN: In view of the economic situation, a hypermarket took the initiative to launch a price cut campaign for the benefit of consumers.

The campaign named “Stretch Your Ringgit,” was officiated by Kuantan Municipal Council president Datuk Azizan Ahmad.

Also present were Carrefour Kuantan store director Koh Kai Boong and East Coast Mall general manager Zubir Samsuri.

Azizan lauded the initiative by the hypermarket as a good business strategy to entice more customers.


A good move: Azizan Ahmad (centre), Koh (right) and Zubir Samsuri at the launch of the campaign recently.

He said the move was timely in view of the present global economic situation which had brought hardship to many people.

“We hope the products up for offer are of good quality with adequate shelf life.

“I received feedback that prices of food and services are expensive in Pahang compared to Terengganu and Kelantan.

“It is time to change this perception.

“Let’s work together to ensure Kuantan is seen as a cheap place to eat, shop and live,” he said.

Meanwhile, Koh said the hypermarket would stick with its customers in these trying times.

“We pledge to serve the needs of our customers and add value to their every ringgit,” he said, adding that under the campaign, selected essential items would be bundled and offered at a price of RM10 every two weekdays and RM50 for weekends.

[rizalhakim]

Carrefour jangka pertumbuhan positif tahun ini
KUALA LUMPUR 4 Mac - Carrefour Malaysia menjangka pertumbuhan yang positif untuk perniagaannya tahun ini meskipun kelembapan ekonomi semasa, kata Pengarah Serantaunya, Eric Garcia hari ini.

Garcia berkata, syarikat itu kini mengendalikan 17 pasar raya besar seluruh negara dan bersedia untuk membuka lima pasar raya besar yang baharu tahun ini.

Syarikat itu, katanya, masih optimistik bahawa perbelanjaan pengguna di Malaysia masih baik.

Garcia berkata, Carrefour akan menumpukan kepada interaksi dengan pelanggan bagi mengetahui keperluan mereka, sambil menambah bahawa kempen 'Carrefour Ambil Berat Tentang Anda' yang dilancarkan baru-baru ini merupakan sebahagian daripada strategi itu.

Beliau berkata demikian selepas pelancaran program promosi dalaman syarikat itu. - BERNAMA

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Malton bakal lancar projek hartanah RM48 juta

SHAH ALAM 4 Mac - Malton Bhd. (Malton) akan melancarkan beberapa projek pembangunan hartanah bercampur dengan nilai RM48 juta pada sepanjang tahun ini di Bukit Rimau, dekat sini .

Pengarah Eksekutif, Hong Lay Chuan berkata, pelancaran itu tidak mengambil kira usaha menempatkan sebuah pasar raya besar, Carrefour dan juga sebuah hospital swasta.

''Bukit Rimau dimajukan di atas tanah seluas 155.39 hektar dengan bilangan penduduk, termasuk kawasan berhampiran seramai 50,000 orang. Kini, terdapat 20.23 hektar tanah yang dikhaskan untuk tujuan komersial yang belum dibangunkan.

''Meskipun dunia mengalami masalah ekonomi tetapi kami tetap optimis dalam melaksanakan projek-projek pembangunan syarikat kerana masih terdapat permintaan,'' katanya di sini ketika memeterai perjanjian pembinaan Carrefour dalam kawasan projek pembangunannya baru-baru ini.

Beberapa projek kediaman Malton, seperti perumahan teres di Puchong, telah menunjukkan peningkatan permintaan.

Lay Chuan berkata, pembangunan hartanah bercampur itu akan melibatkan pelancaran 16 unit rumah berkembar dan 24 unit lot kedai, masing-masing bernilai RM30 juta dan RM18 juta.

Katanya, pembinaan lot-lot kedai bersebelahan dengan Carrefour juga adalah bagi merancakkan kegiatan perniagaan di kawasan berkenaan.

Sementara itu, Pengarah Urusan Carrefour, Shafie Shamsuddin berkata, pihaknya akan melabur antara RM50 juta dan RM60 juta untuk membina pasar raya besar Carrefour.

Katanya, daripada jumlah itu, sebanyak RM20 juta digunakan untuk kawasan tanah seluas 2.93 hektar manakala baki digunakan untuk membina pasar raya.

Mengikut perancangan, Carrefour Bukit Rimau dijangka dibuka sama ada penghujung tahun ini atau awal tahun 2010, tambahnya.

[rizalhakim]

Malaysia to review hypermart ruling
By Vasantha GanesanPublished: 2009/03/06



The government will review and may revoke approvals given to foreign hypermarkets to open additional stores, if they take too long to start operations.


To date, of the 107 licences given to foreign hypermarket operators - Tesco, Giant and Carrefour - only 78 stores are operational.

"The balance (of 29) have for one reason or another not materialised," the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs secretary general Datuk Mohd Zain Mohd Dom said.

He said the current guidelines do not have a specific time frame for hypermarket operators to open their new stores once approval is given.

"We may consider an amendment to fix a certain time frame to set it (hypermarket) up, failing which we will revoke the licence," Mohd Zain said.

The approvals are being reviewed because the current guidelines state that only one hypermarket can open for every 350,000 population, which means only 75 hypermarket licences should have been given out in the first place.

In a recent interview, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad said he was perplexed how the guidelines could have been breached.

"We have given 107 licences for foreign hypermarkets. Based on a population of 26 million, the ratio has become one hypermarket per 243,000 population.

"The question now is, what is the interpretation of the guideline? Does it mean in a 350,000 population base we open one hypermarket? Or do we open on a per capita basis so we only have 75 hypermarkets (nationwide)?

"I am perplexed as this is the current situation. Since we are the licensing authority, what guidelines do we choose? Our own simple guideline of per capita appears to have been breached," he said.

Shahrir said the ministry would have to weigh the concerns of crowding out the traditional retailers and at the same time keeping consumers happy in a low-price environment.

"The other aspect is, because they (foreign hypermarkets) are keen to open more branches, it is also a source of foreign investment and employment, and opportunities to see more competition in the hypermarket sector.

"Obviously the ministry has to sit down and figure out the direction for the future (in terms of licensing)," he said.

On whether the ministry will stop issuing licences until this issue is resolved, Shahrir said: "We are receiving applications. We do not reject applications. But these do not necessarily amount to approvals."

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Carrefour Sees Positive Growth This Year




KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 (Bernama) -- Carrefour Malaysia sees a positive growth for its business this year despite the current economic slowdown, its regional director Eric Garcia said today.

Garcia said that the company, currently operating 17 hypermarkets nationwide, was on track to open five new hypermarkets this year.

The company, he added, was still optimistic that consumer spending in Malaysia remained good.

Garcia said Carrefour would be focusing on interaction with customers to discover their needs, adding that the recently launched "Carrefour Cares For You" tagline was part of the strategy.

He was speaking to reporters after the launch of the company's in-house promotion programme here by Deputy Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

-- BERNAMA

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Hypermart to reopen
By WINNIE YEOH


SUNSHINE Farlim Hypermaket in Penang is reopening on March 13 at noon.

Sunshine Wholesale Mart Sdn Bhd supermarket division general manager Yee Kam Ming said the hypermarket will sell fresh food such as fruits, vegetables, seafood and meats as well as clothing from factory outlets and other products directly from manufacturers.

“Sunshine Farlim has served the community as a consumer-centred retail chain stores since 1999 and it will be revamped to become Penang island’s largest one-stop wholesale centre with 15,000 sq ft dedicated as the wholesale/wet market section,” he told a press conference at the site in George Town recently.

The original plan was to build a 30-storey shopping mall complete with service apartments, offices or hotels.

“But we’ve made some changes accordingly due to the current economic situation.

“We want to provide a place for small grocery shop owners, hawkers and restaurant owners to save time, energy and cost at our one-stop-get-it-all supermarket,” Yee said.

He said suppliers would be able to sell directly at the hypermarket instead of going through a third party.

“It is a good concept for suppliers and customers as we do not charge suppliers for stall space; we only charge a minimum amount for storage space.

“With that, customers can buy things at cheaper prices,” he said.


Bigger and better: Sunshine Farlim will reopen on Friday.

He also said customers will also enjoy fair prices at their kedai runcit section.

There will be 600 parking bays, express lane for pregnant mothers, breast-feeding rooms, baby diapers changing rooms and kiddy land.

General manager Lillian Kee said another highlight of the hypermarket is the baby and maternity essentials corner which will take up 12,000 sq ft of the overall 80,000 sq ft trading area.

“We’ll also organise prenatal courses with hospitals from time to time and provide service and recommendation regarding confinement homes for mothers,” she said, adding that there will also be a massage parlour.

The new hypermarket will also have a car care section, a ‘reduce to clear’ section, a garden centre, specialty shops, and food and beverage outlets that provide halal and non-halal food.

For details, call Helen Ong at 016-419 8879 , Wong Sai Keong at 016-421 9911 , Yee at 016-419 8850 and Cynthia Hwang at 016-416 2166 .

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1,000 Carrefour Express menjelang 2013


KUALA LUMPUR 8 Mac - Carrefour Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (Carrefour) pemilik pasar raya besar Carrefour, merancang membuka lebih 1,000 cawangan Carrefour Express di seluruh negara menjelang tahun 2013.

Carrefour Express merupakan kedai serbaneka atau runcit yang diperkenalkan oleh Carrefour Malaysia.

Pengarah Kedai Serbanekanya, Mohamed Salim Mohd. Ali berkata, ketika ini Carrefour Express sedang mengukuhkan struktur francaisnya dalam usaha untuk mencapai hasrat itu.

''Struktur francais itu kini sedang diperkemaskan supaya Carrefour Express dapat menawarkan sesuatu yang berkualiti kepada francaisi kami.

''Namun pada tahun ini, tumpuan utama Carrefour Express adalah membuka 100 cawangan di Lembah Klang, sebelum ia dikembangkan ke negeri-negeri lain,'' katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia di pejabatnya baru-baru ini.

Mohamed Salim berkata, sistem francais ini merupakan yang pertama diperkenalkan di Asia dan Malaysia merupakan platform kepada perkembangan sistem itu di rantau ini.

''Di Eropah terutama di negara kelahiran Carrefour, Perancis mempunyai lebih 4,800 buah kedai dan 90 peratus daripadanya adalah berbentuk perniagaan francais.

''Dengan kejayaan dan pengalaman luas Carrefour di Eropah, ia adalah tidak mustahil bagi Carrefour Express untuk berjaya di rantau ini,'' katanya.

Kelebihan utama yang dimiliki Carrefour, adalah rangkaian pengedar dan logistik yang memudahkan Carrefour Express bergerak kepada pelanggan dan bukan sebaliknya, jelas Mohamed Salim.

''Selain itu, kami juga mempunyai jenama sendiri (house brand) dengan harga berpatutan dan dalam keadaan ekonomi yang mencabar ini, jenama Carrefour menjadi pilihan pengguna dalam usaha mereka untuk berjimat.

''Carrefour Express juga menawarkan hampir kesemua produk yang terdapat di pasar raya besar kami bergantung kepada permintaan di setiap lokasinya,'' kata Mohamed Salim.

Tambahnya, harga produk yang ditawarkan di Carrefour dan Carrefour Express adalah lebih kurang sama, manakala harga produk asas seperti gula, beras, tepung adalah sama.

Sehingga hari ini Carrefour Express mempunyai lima cawangan dan akan terus berkembang. Untuk maklumat lanjut, usahawan yang berminat boleh menghubungi Carrefour di talian 1-300-88 2939.

[rizalhakim]

Tesco to consider franchised stores?
By Vasantha GanesanPublished: 2009/03/10



Tesco Stores (M) chief executive officer does not dismiss the possibility, but says that its immediate focus is to expand its hypermarket network

BRITISH hypermarket operator Tesco may give French rival Carrefour a run for its money in Malaysia as it looks to enter the convenience store business through franchising.

Tesco seems to have taken the cue from Carrefour Malaysia Sdn Bhd, which runs the Carrefour Express convenience store, to tap further into the multi-billion-ringgit retail grocery trade in the country.

When contacted by Business Times, Tesco Stores (M) Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Chris Bush did not dismiss the possibility, but said that its immediate focus was to expand its hypermarket network.

Tesco runs 29 large-format stores, Tesco hypermarkets and Tesco Extra, making it the overall market leader in the country. It plans to open another six outlets this year.

"We have not made any decision on the franchise concept for a convenience store as we are still focusing on our hypermarket expansion.

"We are seeking clarification from the ministry (of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs) on the convenience retailing sector for future opportunities," Bush said.

The current guidelines prohibit foreign hypermarket operators from opening convenience stores.

However, Carrefour last year found a smart way of expanding its business through the franchise format as it then fell under a different set of rules under the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development.

Currently, all hypermarkets are regulated by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs.

Carrefour opened its first franchise store, called Carrefour Express, in March last year.

It was recently reported that 100 Carrefour Express stores would be set up in the Klang Valley by the year-end and that there were plans to expand the network to 1,000 within five years. It has some five stores today.

The Carrefour Express model is reported to be able to break even within three years, while retailers can expect 3-6 per cent return of gross sales.

Interestingly, in 2005, Tesco found a way to skirt a ruling that denied it the possibility of hypermarkets opening supermarkets or outlets of between 400 sq m and 2,000 sq m.

Tesco was given the green light then to open three supermarkets, each covering 1,000 sq m.

The approvals were given on the premise that the Parkson group was moving away from the supermarket business and tenants were seeking an anchor to fill the vacuum.

However, the Tesco Express supermarkets did not survive long and have since closed.