KUALA TERENGGANU: Retail industry players should highlight local products to further the expansion of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), says the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs.
Its secretary general, Datuk Azman Mohd Yusof, said the effort could make the government’s program, especially the campaign to buy Malaysian products, a success.
“Certainly, this will be a good sign to reactivate the popular economy, especially of those involved in MSMEs.
“The local products are also of good quality and competitively priced, in addition to being halal,” he said after chairing Ameen Hallmart’s rebranding here on Monday (September 26).
Azman said the involvement of the retail sector in the Keluarga Malaysia Cheap Sales (JMKM) could also help highlight the government’s efforts in this program.
“By reducing the cost of organizing JMKM, we use existing facilities such as hypermarkets and supermarkets.
“Besides the discounted prices charged by retailers, there are also government incentives as they are concerned about the public’s grouses over the high prices of goods,” he added, Bernama reported.
Azman said the ministry believes hypermarkets or supermarkets like Ameen Hallmart could be an exemplary platform for the Buy Malaysian Products campaign and one of the strategic partners of the JMKM program.
He said the rebranding of retail could also make the sector more competitive, in addition to offering more basic necessities.
“This (rebranding) is a very good effort and the government supports it…it’s one of the business strategies, there will be changes and the public will come to see them as new products.
“At Ameen Hallmart, for example, there are more than 5,000 stock keeping units (SKUs) including food, household and personal items, health supplements and apparel with sales amounting to over $60 million. of RM per year.
“What is even more impressive is that over 90% of its SKUs are local halal products made by bumiputra entrepreneurs.
