ALOR STAR: HYPERMARKETS such as Aeon Big, were commended for giving local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) a place on their shelves.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir recently said such retailers presented local entrepreneurs with the opportunity to penetrate the mainstream market in Malaysia and the potential to venture into the international market.
He said this would help to accelerate the development of the state’s SMEs, contributing towards its economic growth, and create new jobs.
“We are proud that a renowned retail company like Aeon Big has invested here and is offering a platform for local SMEs to market their products at its outlets nationwide.
“We hope that this will pave the way for our SMEs to venture into foreign markets, especially the international halal market such as Japan, where the demand for halal products is growing fast as the country prepares to host the 2020 Olympic Games,” he said after opening the first Aeon Big hypermarket in Kedah in Jalan Gangsa, here, recently.
Aeon Big (M) Sdn Bhd chairman Nagahisa Oyama, its managing director Mitsuru Nakata and director A. Rashid Adam and state Women, Family Development, Agricultural and Agro-based Committee chairman Datuk Suraya Yaacob were also present
The outlet is Aeon Big’s 29th in the country,. The 30th outlet will be opened in Farlim, Ipoh, next year.
Meanwhile, Rashid urged local SMEs to quickly seize the chance for entry into the Japanese market through Aeon, under initiatives spearheaded by the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry (KPDNKK) and Agriculture and Agro-based Ministry (MoA).
He said MoA’s Best of Malaysia campaign earlier this year showed that local products had caught the attention of the Japanese.
“Local SMEs should act swiftly to build up their capacity to cater to the growing demand of the Japanese who have high confidence in the quality of our products, especially halal food,” he said.
Rashid said Aeon Big was supporting local SMEs by stocking over 530 Malaysian products, 119 of which were produced by Kedah-based entrepreneurs.
He said the company had projected annual sales of RM65 million for the new outlet and Kedah, especially Alor Star, was an important growth market in the country.