CDSG, which operates a chain of convenience stores under the “Grab & Go” or âG&Gâ brand in Myanmar, disclosed at Tastefully Myanmar that it currently has 290 outlets in the country as of end-February 2020. This makes G&G the country’s largest convenience store operator. Of the 290 outlets, 274 stores are operating directly by the company, while the remaining 16 stores are run by franchisees.
By region, Yangon has the largest number of stores at 224, followed by Mandalay with 54 outlets, Naypyidaw with 8 stores and the remaining places with 4 outlets.
G&G’s mission is “to be the destination for consumers, which aim to offer the best ready-to-eat (RTE) and e-services in all G&G stores.”
G&G is backed by its parent company CDSG, which is strong in distribution with a distribution network reaching more than 90% of the country. The Premier coffee brand and Wah-Lah instant noodles are all under CDSG.
Super Seven Stars Group, the franchise holder to the Carrefour brand in Myanmar, plans to have two retail formats in the country. The two formats are Carrefour Easy convenience store, which is based on the Carrefour Proximity model, and Maxi Carrefour, which is a wholesale cash and carry format store catering to both B2C and B2C consumers.
When interviewed at Tastefully Myanmar 2020, Thierry Hellot, CEO Retail at Super Seven Stars Group, said Carrefour Easy “‘will open before the end of 2020.” The opening of Maxi Carrefour will be “a longer process,” with one or two stores in 2021, added Hellot. The stores will be initially located in Yangon to “consolidate and develop the brand” before moving into other cities like Mandalay and Naypyitaw, said Hellot.
The positioning of Carrefour Easy will be different from other existing players in the market. Carrefour Easy will have more assortments and more organic products, said Hellot. The company has a supply chain that offers the ability to have more items for less square metres. The average Carrefour Easy store in Myanmar will be 80 square metres.
Carrefour Easy will focus on Myanmar products. Nevertheless, it will bring in quality Carrefour products initially from abroad and subsequently locally.
Carrefour Easy will be positioned as a store to fulfill the daily needs of the customers including having fresh produce. Carrefour Easy will be modeled after Carrefour Express or Carrefour City in other markets. There are plans to develop ready-to-eat for Carrefour Easy.
Maxi Carrefour will buy fresh products directly from farmers to ensure quality and to offer a more competitive price to consumers without going through intermediaries, said Hellot. This model will apply to non-food products as well.
URC has unveiled C2 Plus Fibre to tap into the fibre craze. In the Philippines, beverage manufacturers are increasingly adding fibres into their drinks to make their products more functional and better-for-you. Fibre is an attractive added benefit in the Philippines as the Filipino diet is evidently lacking in fibre intake due to low consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Compared with other Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Vietnam, it can be really hard to find traces of vegetables in popular dishes in the Philippines.
C2 Plus Fibre helps to supplement fibre needs in the diet. The RTD tea is available in Green Apple and Pineapple flavors. C2 Plus Fibre is said to offer better digestion and deliver a lighter, cleaner feeling.
KFC Myanmar has been quite busy in the past few years introducing limited time offer (LTO) to entice the taste buds of local Myanmar consumers. According to KFC, new LTO is created every two months featuring unique signature taste from around the world. The latest LTO is Peruvian Aji Lime Chicken.
LTOs in the past included Shanghai Chicken (2019), Korean Gangnam Chicken (2019), Siam Tom Yum (2019), Spanish Chacha Chicken (2019), Parisian Chicken (2019), Mala Chicken (2018), Kpop Chicken (2018), Red Hot Chicken (2017) and Chili Lime Chicken (2016). Some of these flavours could possibly provide confirmation on what was the trending flavour in Myanmar during that period.
In Myanmar, Yathar Cho Industry, the producer of Yum Yum instant noodle under license from Thailand’s Wan Thai Foods Industry, has introduced Mala Xiangguo as its latest instant noodle flavour. Mala Xiangguo, which is loosely translated as “spicy stir-fry hot pot”, appears to be winning over consumers in Myanmar with its distinct numbing and spicy flavour.
An article in Myanmar Times dated 29 November 2019 even described Mala Xiangguo to have “started a food craze in Yangon.” The article goes on to showcase 10 popular places to enjoy the Mala Xiangguo dish.
Several producers in Southeast Asia have introduced Mala Xiangguo instant noodles. Myojo, an instant noodle brand under Nissin, rolled out Mala Xiangguo instant noodle in Singapore in 2019. In Indonesia, Mala House launched its Mala Tang Instant and Mala Xiangguo Instant in 2019.
In addition to Mala Xiangguo, Yathar Cho Industry has also added the Tom Yum Salad flavour.
Riding Pink is a one-of-a-kind e-hailing service with female drivers for female riders, offering additional peace of mind for privacy and personal safety especially after enjoying drinks on a night out.
Celebrate Responsibly during girlsâ nights out with RM10 off e-hailing rides from Carlsberg and Riding Pink
SHAH ALAM, 5 March 2020 â Ladies, raise a glass in celebration of International Womenâs Day this weekend while enjoying a safe night out!
Carlsberg Malaysia and Riding Pink, a women-only e-hailing service, is offering RM10 off rides in the Klang Valley from now until 28 March so that you can enjoy weekend nights out without worrying about driving after drinking.
Pearl Lai, Corporate Communications and CSR Director of Carlsberg Malaysia, said, âWe are proud to offer Probably the Best Portfolio of Beers, Stouts and Ciders which are meant to be enjoyed in moderation and in appreciation of natural ingredients and fine brewing. Being a responsible consumer is simple â donât drink and drive if you are over the limit! Through our collaboration with Riding Pink, we encourage women to celebrate responsibly by leaving their cars at home whenever they enjoy a night out with friends.â
Pearl Lai, Corporate Communications and CSR Director of Carlsberg Malaysia: âBeing a responsible consumer is simple â donât drink and drive if you are over the limit! We encourage women to celebrate responsibly by leaving their cars at home whenever they enjoy a night out with friends.â
To book a ride on Riding Pink, download the app from RidingPink.com, Google Play or the App Store and register as a rider. Use the promotional code CELEBRATERESPONSIBLY to enjoy up to RM10 off your ride courtesy of Carlsberg Malaysia, which can be redeemed on Friday and Saturday evenings between 7pm and 12am within the Klang Valley.
The subsidised rides are valid for the first 500 redemptions between 6 March to 28 March. Rides are strictly limited to ladies only.
Riding Pink founder Denise Tan, commented, âAs a one-of-a-kind e-hailing service with female drivers for female riders, Riding Pink is proud to partner with Carlsberg Malaysia for the third year running to drive home the message of no drink-driving. Our women-only service offers additional peace of mind for riders who have concerns over their privacy and personal safety while taking rideshares, especially after enjoying drinks on a night out.â
This collaboration between Carlsberg Malaysia and Riding Pink is part of #CelebrateResponsibly, Carlsberg Malaysiaâs annual responsible drinking campaign.
#CelebrateResponsibly advocates responsible alcohol consumption and no drink driving should oneâs blood alcohol content (BAC) exceed the legal limit of 0.08%. The campaign has reached more than 76,000 consumers since it kicked-off in 2015 with consumer education and activities held in conjunction with Carlsbergâs promotions and marketing activations.
#CelebrateResponsibly is in support of Carlsbergâs sustainability strategy, Together Towards ZERO, where it sets a bold ambition for a society with zero irresponsible drinking in line with its global purpose of Brewing for a Better Today and Tomorrow.
Globally, the Carlsberg Group has set a bold vision for a society without irresponsible drinking. By 2030, it aims to see a continuous reduction of key responsible drinking statistics in all of its markets in support of the World Health Organisationâs (WHO) objective to reduce harmful use of alcohol, as well as the WHOâs Sustainable Development Goal 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages.
To know more about Carlsberg Malaysia and the #CelebrateResponsibly campaign, visit www.carlsbergmalaysia.com.my or on Facebook at CarlsbergMalaysia. Find out more on Riding Pink at RidingPink.com or on Facebook at RidingPink.
Across Southeast Asia, Nescafe is innovating with new fusion flavours to entice young generation of consumers to the coffee category. In neighbouring Thailand, Nescafe has launched Milk Tea Espresso and Caramel Biscuit. In Malaysia, the global coffee brand has recently tapped into the familiar local favourite kaya toast as a new flavour for its white coffee.
The new 3-in-1 Kaya Toast flavoured white coffee mix comes with a “unique combination of buttery aroma and a hint of sweetness kaya toast flavour.”
Nescafe describes the new flavour as one that will remind you of “your favourite breakfast at the local kopitiam.” Nescafe White Coffee Kaya Toast is “infused with flavours and aroma that mingle perfectly, the whiff of pandan and the delicious coconut taste provides a pleasurable coffee experience.”
Nescafe White Coffee Kaya Toast is available on Shopee. Click here to purchase.
At Aeon Supermarket in Malaysia, shoppers can now buy high quality vegetables grown by Japanese farmers in Malaysia. This is brought to you by Secai Marche Sdn Bhd, which is a farm-fresh platform linking farmers with chefs and consumers with ingredients sourced from farms in Malaysia and Japan.
This farm to table concept is becoming increasingly popular as consumers want traceability for quality assurance.
Grown in Cameron Highlands, the produce including Japanese cherry tomatoes, Japanese komatsuna (mustard spinach), mizuna (mustard greens) and other vegetables are priced competitively as they are grown locally. However, unlike other premium vegetables with organic certification, there is no evidence these produce is certified organic.
There is also a strong possibility that the message grown by Japanese farmers when translating into the Malaysian context means grown by foreign/local workers instead of Japanese farmers themselves who might assume the role of supervising.
Malaysian retailers are increasingly embracing automation at check-out with self-checkout counters to reduce the waiting time. However, self-check out can still waste a lot of time especially in markets where consumers are still new to using self-checkout.
Tesco Malaysia has recently announced a new initiative to make shopping a breeze similar to the Amazon Go walk-in, walk-out concept but with a local twist. While shopping, consumers need to launch the Tesco Scan and Shop application and scan the QR code at the store to start shopping.
Whenever the shopper decides to buy the item, they just need to scan the barcode with the app. Once they have done with shopping, they can make payment at the cashier by showing the barcode after selecting “Finish Shopping” from the app. Alternatively, shoppers can scan the barcode on their phone at the self checkout screen to make payment.
We have not yet experienced the Tesco Scan and Shop feature but one netizen who have given this technology a try lamented the poor execution as frontliners were not properly taught on how the process works. Moreover, when trying to scan the code on the self-check out machine, the code was not recognised. At the end, that consumer had to manually scan each item again.
We are also curious if there is any way to prevent store pilferage as some shoppers might only report buying one item instead of having actually more than one item from a similar SKU.
FamilyMart Malaysia is supporting the movement to reduce food wastage with a commendable initiative called Do Good Save Food. Shoppers can enjoy 25% off selected items when purchasing on the same “Best Before” date from 4pm to 11.59am. The promotion is applicable at all outlets.
However, the romotion is not in conjunction with other promotions or discounts in store and cannot be used together with other coupons /vouchers.
The implementation of sustainable business practices have become important as consumers are increasingly judging companies by how sustainable they are.
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