McDonald’s Malaysia launches the McDonald’s Fries Crosswalk at Bukit Bintang, creating an iconic “insta-worthy” landmark in the city.
KUALA LUMPUR, 15 MARCH 2022 – Today, McDonald’s Malaysia made its mark in the heart of Kuala Lumpur by illustrating its world-famous French Fries onto the Bukit Bintang crosswalk, creating an iconic “insta-worthy” landmark in the city. The installation aims to ignite excitement amongst Malaysians and become a must-see destination for visitors, both local and international.
Located directly in front of McDonald’s Bukit Bintang, the McDonald’s Fries Crosswalk leads visitors straight into the first McDonald’s restaurant that opened its doors in Malaysia 40 years ago, back in 1982.
The McDonald’s Fries Crosswalk was officially unveiled today by YB Dato’ Seri Dr. Shahidan Bin Kassim, Minister of Federal Territories, as well as YBhg. Dato’ Azmir Jaafar, Managing Director and Local Operating Partner of McDonald’s Malaysia, at McDonald’s Bukit Bintang.
From left to right, YBhg. Datuk Seri Mahadi Bin Che Ngah, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur; YB Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Bin Alias, Deputy Minister of Federal Territories; YB Dato’ Seri Dr. Shahidan Bin Kassim, Minister of Federal Territories; YBhg, Dato’ Azmir Jaafar, Managing Director and Local Partner McDonald’s Malaysia; and YBhg Datuk Sulaiman Bin Mohamed, Executive Director of DBKL officially unveiled the McDonald’s Fries Crosswalk today.
“We hope that by transforming the Bukit Bintang crosswalk into the McDonald’s Fries Crosswalk, we can help solidify Kuala Lumpur as a must-visit tourist attraction for travelers and Malaysians alike. Through this initiative, we are pleased to do our part in supporting the government’s plan to make Kuala Lumpur a prosperous city by 2030,” said YBhg.Dato’ Azmir Jaafar, Managing Director and Local Operating Partner of McDonald’s Malaysia.
The McDonald’s Fries Crosswalk is in line with the initiatives by Ministry of Federal Territories in encouraging sustainable development of the city, which involves physical, social, economic, and environmental aspects, making Kuala Lumpur a more prosperous city by 2030.
The McDonald’s Fries Crosswalk is in line with the initiatives by Ministry of Federal Territories in beautifying the city.
“We have grown alongside Malaysians for the past 40 years, contributing to the socio-economic development of Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia at large. We provide not only feel-good moments, but also organising community programmes in collaboration with Ronald McDonald’s House Charities (RMHC) as a way of giving back to the communities where we operate in,” added Azmir.
“We are grateful and proud of McDonald’s Malaysia’s initiative by coming forward and partnering with the Ministry of Federal Territories and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), to creatively add value to the Bukit Bintang crosswalk into an iconic symbol in the city – The McDonald’s Fries Crosswalk,” said YB Dato’ Seri Dr. Shahidan Bin Kassim, Minister of Federal Territories.
“Additionally, the Ministry and City Hall believe that it will also spur the economic development of Kuala Lumpur. This initiative by McDonald’s is also part of the physical development plan in government’s vision to make Kuala Lumpur a prosperous city by 2030,” added Shahidan.
McDonald’s remains committed in contributing to the nation’s economic recovery, as it announced its five-year business expansion plans earlier this month. As part of its Vision 2026, McDonald’s Malaysia will be investing RM1.35 billion over the next five years to open 205 new restaurants, as well as offering more than 50,000 career opportunities for Malaysians by the year 2026.
In April 1982, McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Malaysia at Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, and has been expending throughout the country ever since. With 40 years of presence in Malaysia, McDonald’s now serves over 13.5 million customers a month at more than 300 restaurants nationwide. McDonald’s employs more than 15,000 Malaysians in restaurants across the nation, providing career, training, and development opportunities.
A challenging journey for the Hope Place team to deliver food aid.
Hope Place goes the extra mile to meet the needs of Orang Asli villagers and the underprivileged in Sarawak
KUCHING, 14 MARCH 2022 – Hope Place, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Kuching with a vision to give hope and touch lives of the local community goes the extra mile in ensuring that the basic needs of the state’s Orang Asli villagers are met through its Charity Without Borders programme. Through its initiatives, the team at Hope Place wants to ensure that the underprivileged in Kuching will have the opportunity to receive an equal quality of life.
Hope Place strives to relive the hardships of many families in Kuching. “Our team at Hope Place challenge ourselves every day to be the beacon for the defenceless. We believe that showing concern to those in need and taking care of the Kuching community is a shared responsibility. If everyone just played a small part, the underprivileged communities in Kuching will stand a chance to break the vicious cycle of poverty,” said Kelvin Wan, Head of Development Department of Hope Place.
Charity Without Borders
Due to the remote location of Orang Asli villagers in Kuching, and the long distance between these villages and the nearest town, financial constraints remain an issue due to the lack of access to basic utilities and necessities. These basic needs play a vital role in economic and social development. The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) revealed in a recent policy paper that Orang Asli students also faced the issue of long distance travelling between villages and schools, resulting in a high dropout rate. Furthermore, many of these Orang Asli children are underweight or stunted in growth due to malnutrition. Without the luxury of education and basic needs, this causes a domino effect to the state of poverty among the community.
Rising to the challenge, the team at Hope Place felt that this issue cannot persist and needed to be addressed urgently. The journey to the deep interiors of Sarawak is long and treacherous, requiring significant planning ahead of time. To start, the Hope Place team would go into the villages via modified four-wheel drives and longboats to survey the area, making sure that they understand the villagers’ situations and their needs. The trip may sometimes take up to two days depending on the location of the village. In some villages, the Hope Place team may even have to clear the path beforehand for vehicle entry.
Kelvin installing solar panels for the villagers in Kuching
Once they have pinpointed the families to help, the team will once again return to Kuching to call for donors and arrange for items to be bought. The items prepared usually includes basic food items, medical equipment, learning materials, solar lights and even furniture such as tables and chairs. Hope Place also calls for specific volunteers such as doctors, dentists, and hairdressers to join them in their trip to provide free medical and haircut services for the villagers. Hope Place also looks into setting up learning hubs in these villages, providing the children with sufficient resources to focus on their education.
In their last trip before the pandemic hit, Hope Place managed to gather a convoy of 80 four-wheel drives and 150 volunteers. As a result, 126 families from three Penan villages in Ulu Tinjar were provided with necessities and food aid worth RM 60,000, as well as haircuts and medical aid. Kelvin added, “Our main calling as an NGO is to lend a helping hand to the B40 families, especially in the Orang Asli villages. Most importantly, we ensure that we set up learning hubs in these villages to ensure that the next generation will have a chance to be educated. With the help of our passionate volunteers and partners, we hope that our efforts will be a push for the Orang Asli community to move a step forward and escape the poverty trap.”
Crisis Aid
Sarawak has been suffering severe economic impacts from the pandemic. The ACCCIS’s Sarawak Economic Situation Survey Report revealed that the various lockdowns, price hikes, high operating costs, cash flow issues and consumer behaviours had caused a decline for many businesses, impacting breadwinners in the Kuching community.
Hope Place delivering goods and food to the hospital frontliners
Once again, Hope Place realised the call for action to be taken. At the height of the pandemic, health workers and hospitals worked round the clock, going the extra mile for the COVID-19 patients. Many wanted to show care to the frontliners, COVID-19 patients and the families impacted by the health crisis. Hope Place provided an avenue for Sarawakians to play a part, collecting donations and purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE) and food items and then transporting them to hospitals in Kuching for the frontliners and many others who were in need.
During this time, Hope Place also partnered with HEINEKEN Malaysia where the company provided additional funds to Hope Place through the HEINEKEN Cares campaign to provide essential food aid for communities in need. Renuka Indrarajah, Corporate Affairs & Legal Director for HEINEKEN Malaysia said, “We are inspired by the unceasing efforts of the Hope Place team in touching the lives of the needy in Sarawak. As part of the HEINEKEN Cares programme, we are proud to join hands with Hope Place as one of the eight organisations that we have partnered with to deliver 255,000 meals to Malaysians in need amid the health crisis. At HEINEKEN Malaysia, we’re committed to progress with local communities. We hope that our small step to support local heroes like Hope Place will make a big difference.”
Kelvin also mentioned, “We are glad that companies such as HEINEKEN Malaysia share the same vision with us in seeing through that our local families in need are taken care of. We hope that many other businesses will rise to the challenge in achieving zero hunger for Sarawakians and Malaysians.”
Kedai Bajet
Over the years, Hope Place has helped many beneficiaries break free from poverty. One of the many success stories is Felicia Sung who is giving back to the cause today. Back in 2018, Hope Place visited Felicia Sung’s father who suffered from severe high blood pressure and chronic heart problems. The NGO ensured that all his needs were met,
supplying him with adult diapers and milk as he had to undergo tube feeding. Sadly, Felicia’s father passed away 6 months later, but the kindness and care that Hope Place has shown touched her heart. She wanted to give back by serving those who are in similar situations to what she had experienced.
Since then, Felicia joined Hope Place’s Kedai Bajet, a thrift store set up to sell donated second-hand goods and essentials at a cheaper rate for all beneficiaries under the care of Hope Place. Furthermore, upon review, certain beneficiaries who are tight on cash may also take items from the Kedai Bajet for free. The Kedai Bajet provides employment opportunities, affordable necessities, and additional funds to the NGO for emergencies.
Felicia Sung said, “I have personally seen how Hope Place came to aid for my family in times of need and I wish to do the same for others as well. I have seen my colleagues at Hope Place care for others. Although I am a shy person, in future, I would also like to learn from them how to engage and talk to the underprivileged. It is my dream that one day, I can too play a part in caring for elderly people. For now, I want to help in any way I can.”
Hope Place will continue striving towards helping underprivileged families in Sarawak. For more information on Hope Place on how to donate or volunteer, please visit https://hopeplace.org.my/.
Returning for the sixth year, Malaysians can show their appreciation and nominate stories of inspiring teachers from 10 March – 2 April 2022
KUALA LUMPUR, 14 March 2022 – Anugerah Guru Inspirasi (AGI) McDonald’s is back for its sixth year to recognise the everyday heroes of our nation, our teachers who have gone above and beyond in educating, shaping, and inspiring the country’s greatest resources – the children. Malaysians can start nominating the inspiring teachers from 10 March to 2 April 2022 by sharing the story of their ‘Cikgu Luar Biasa’ in either Bahasa Malaysia, English or Chinese.
AGI McDonald’s is brought back annually by the quick service restaurant as part of its commitment in giving back to the communities that it operates in. Through AGI McDonald’s, the company continues to give recognition to teachers’ who go above and beyond in nurturing future leaders.
“We saw major changes in the education system in the past two years. Teachers had to transition from in-person classes to fully remote online classes, to different versions of hybrid learning in between. Which is why it is all the more important for Anugerah Guru Inspirasi McDonald’s to continue to celebrate these teachers in 2022, for their substantial efforts in ensuring that there’s continuation of education for students across the nation,” said Dato’ Azmir Jaafar, Managing Director and Local Operating Partner of McDonald’s Malaysia.
Dato’ Azmir added, “These teachers inspire students to grow as individuals in realising their potential and aspirations. They sacrifice their needs for the needs of students while becoming a positive influence in the students’ life that can shift their perspectives and make a significant impact in their lives.”
The award will select 25 teachers as winners who will win cash prize worth RM5,000 while Malaysians who submit the winning nominations will receive RM200 worth of McDonald’s gift vouchers as a token of appreciation.
Students, parents & the public can nominate their extraordinary teachers and share their stories with McDonald’s in three simple steps:
Selected recipients of the award will be identified meticulously by a panel of judges consisting of representatives from McDonald’s, the Ministry of Education, and the media The selection criteria in identifying the chosen teachers include improving the academic performance of the students, employing innovative and out-of-the-box methods of teaching, going beyond the call of duty to assist students, and the positive impact the teacher has had on students.
AGI McDonald’s was first initiated in 2017 and has since received over 19,000 submissions with more than 106 notable teachers awarded nationwide. The annual initiative serves as a platform to honour extraordinary teachers who go above and beyond to provide guidance to students while allowing them flexibility to navigate their own learning, offering a conducive academic environment for students to flourish.
Helping the community is a core value of McDonald’s Malaysia. Aside from celebrating teachers, McDonald’s Malaysia also takes pride in engaging and giving back to the community through its Program Komuniti @ McDonald’s & RMHC that runs throughout the year. Last year’s initiatives included celebrating the birthdays of more than 12,000 children at 400 orphanages nationwide as well as distributing RM1.66 million worth of “Back-To-School” packs to 21,000 students. McDonald’s also supports Ronald McDonald House Charities that focuses on the pillars of education, health and welfare targeted at deserving children and families.
Note:
Any students, parents or teaching fraternities can nominate teachers who meet the criteria as outlined on the website
Nominated teachers must be a Malaysian citizen and should currently be teaching in any government or private schools in any state in Malaysia.
The winners will be chosen by a panel of expert judges based on a number of criteria including but not limited to – improving the academic performance of the students, employing innovative and out-of-the-box methods of teaching, going beyond the call of duty and making a lasting positive impact on students.
Dato' Azmir Jaafar. Managing Director and Local Operating Partner, McDonald's Malaysia
McDonald’s Malaysia, which is operating under Gerbang Alaf Restaurants Sdn Bhd, revealed several interesting key figures during its media briefing on 2 March 2022. As one of the country’s leading fast food chains, McDonald’s returned to growth in 2021 with a 15% year-on-year increase in revenue to RM 2.35 billion, a reverse from a 4% year-on-year decline in 2020. The company grew 11% year-on-year before the pandemic in 2019. The target for 2022 is double-digit growth.
At the briefing, McDonald’s revealed it operated 318 outlets throughout Malaysia and employed more than 15,000 Malaysians, serving 13.5 million customers a month. The fast food operator opened 33 new outlets in the past 2 years with plans to add 35 new drive-thru restaurants in 2022. The vision for 2026 is to open up to 500 stores with a total investment of RM 1.35 billion, including 155 restaurant remodeling. The expansion means there will be 50,000 jobs by 2026. The QSR chain will move into more tier 2 and tier 3 cities including expanding in Sabah and Sarawak.
McDonald’s is the number one drive-thru service provider with 214 drive-thru stores nationwide, with 67% of stores in the drive-thru format.
The fast food chain is also the number 1 espresso coffee brand for QSR with a 23.5% market share. It is also the number 1 delivery service for a single brand with a 35% market share. Over 9 million McD App have been dowloaded since 2018.
Despite the growth in delivery and drive-thru, McDonald’s is also encouraging more consumers to dine-in by enticing them with strong data connectivity and offering a cleaned environment and a safe place to meet.
McDonald’s increased its prices in February 2022 by an average of 2%.
When it comes to plant-based offering, McDonald’s will continue to wait for the direction globally and will only launch plant-based once it feels plant-based is viable for Malaysian consumers. Dato’ Azmir Jaafar said there is no timeline when it comes to bringing in plant-based option into Malaysia.
Power Root (M) has released Ah Huat Black Sugar Milk Tea, which allows the consumers to DIY their black sugar milk tea at home to satisfy their sugar cravings.
Ah Huat Black Sugar Milk Tea is made from premium quality of dark muscovado sugar for healthy, silky-smooth delight and well as Kenyan Black Tea for a robust and fragrant finishing in every cup. The drink is said to offer unique aroma and mouthfeel plus contain abundant nutrients including anti-oxidant, L-theanine, manganese, magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium and vitamin B6.
Thailand’s Srinanaporn Marketing Public Company Limited (SNNP) has launched Magic Farm Fresh Juice with Cannabis containing organic cannabis leaves. The FDA-approved juice drink (250ml) comes in three flavours – Mixed Berry, Lychee and Pineapple. The company launches the drink in time for the summer season to help consumers relax and quench their thirst.
Thailand’s Srinanaporn Marketing Public Company Limited (SNNP) has introduced new chicken skin snacks under the Lotus brand. The Lotus Chicken Skin Snack is available in tom yum, original and sweet chili sauce.
It is available at 7-11 and general stores for only THB 30. The TVC hows how the latest Lotus Chicken Skin Snack is suitable for young consumers who are engaged outdoor camping, which has become a trend during the pandemic.
Munchy’s, which is now owned by URC, has launched LEXUS Chocolate Chip Cookie topped with chocolatey drizzle. The new chocolate chip cookie is available in 3 delectable variants – Original, Dark Chocolate & Mixed Nuts.
Consumers can enjoy it warm and melty or try eating it chilled for maximum indulgence. We are seeing Munchy’s focusing on temperature and texture to promote its biscuits. Other possibilities include microwaving the biscuit or having special ingredients that change colours along with a change in the temperature.
Click here to buy it now from Munchy’s online store on Shopee now.
Cocoaland, know for its Lot 100 gummies, has introduced Lot 100 Fruit Gummy Dates in time for the Ramadan season. The sugar confectionery company is the latest to use dates or kurma to make its gummy relevant for the fasting month of Ramadan.
The company descibes its latest Lot 100 Fruit Gummy Dates as “you can enjoy it in anytime anywhere to boost up energy and blood glucose level especially after a long day of fasting.”
Click here to purchase from Cocoaland flagship store on Lazada.
Cocoaland revenue for the 12 months to December 2021 fell 2.8% year-on-year with net profit up 7.1%. Q4, 2021 revenue rose 24.2% with net profit up 98%.
Betagen has made available its latest kombucha through Malaysia’s FamilyMart convenience stores. We feel the latest Betagen Kombucha Fermented Tea Original is set to disrupt the kombucha segment as it wins on two areas – affordability and taste. The 200ml drink is priced at RM 4.70, which is a low entry price for kombucha in the Malaysian market.
For serious kombucha drinkers who have tasted Betagen Kombucha, they would notice Betagen Kombucha has a more pleasant taste but lack the authenticity. Taste is a barrier for kombucha right now as kombucha traditionally comes with a tangy, acidic taste. By making it easier to drink, Betagen Kombucha has the potential to make kombucha more accessible to ordinary consumers in terms of the taste.
However, for established kombucha players, there is the risk that Betagen Kombucha’s presence will mislead first time kombucha drinkers who might think that all kombucha in the market will taste just like Betagen Kombucha.
Globally, kombucha is trying to exapand its user base and that is why kombucha players have entered into the carbonated space as well as turning kombucha into a beverage ingredient. There is also the push to make kombucha more pleasant to drink among children. In Australia, Remedy has launched Remedy JNR, which is described as a super-tasty, lightly fizzy kombucha brew made just for kids.
Perhaps it is a wake up call for kombucha companies in Malaysia to look at new ways to popularise digestive drink with kombucha as the core ingredient.
Kellogg's Malaysia is testing its Kellogg's cornflakes in cup for on-the-go occasion as part of a collaborating with Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad....
