KUALA LUMPUR, 17 May 2020: This Ramadan and Hari Raya season, Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd is putting the spotlight on its local small and medium enterprises (SME) suppliers that are bringing in many seasonal delicacies for customers to enjoy.
“Tesco had long been a big supporter of local SMEs and brands. This has been demonstrated time and time again through our ongoing promotion for locally made products in our stores well as the fact that about 80 per cent of our Tesco Own Brand products are sourced and manufactured by local SMEs,” said Tesco Product Director, Kenneth Chuah.
“We feel even strongly to help our local SMEs in giving them that extra support now, as many have been impacted by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. As a retailer with 60 stores nationwide and millions of customers, these SMEs will now have the exposure that they need to take their brand to the next level during our Raya Jimat, Raya Selamat campaign.”
SMEs, which comprise 98.5 per cent of all businesses in Malaysia are the backbone of the Malaysian economy. It contributes nearly 40 per cent to the gross domestic product and employing almost two-thirds of the workforce. For many of these SMEs, the Movement Control Order has had a disproportionate impact on their business viability.
Two of the SMEs that are joining Tesco for the first time are cottage industry distributor, Yosh Ventures Sdn Bhd, and Malaysian snacks wholesaler, DNS Kacang Puteh Sdn Bhd.
“We are very pleased to collaborate with Tesco this Ramadan where we can bring small-scale suppliers such as Selangor-based kerepek maker, Jars Manufacturing and Kelantan-based buah bijan makers, Kak Ha Enterprise,” said Yosh Ventures founder and chief executive officer, Isa Johari.
“Both of these suppliers are family-owned and operate right out of their kitchens or small facilities that are attached to their homes. These are hardworking entrepreneurs who are looking for that big opportunity to elevate their brand and exposure. Having their products on Tesco shelves across Malaysia will help them grow sales and brand recognition.”
Yosh Ventures was founded in 2016 and is now distributing products from some 15 micro SMEs from all over the country. The company is always looking at ways to explore new areas and help even more micro SME manufacturers.
DNS Kacang Puteh Director, Nerumal Kumar is pleased to have his company’s products of mostly murukkus and spicy peanuts as part of Tesco’s Ramadan campaign.
“When most think of Ramadan and Raya, they will think of ketupat and rendang, but not murukku. However, murukku has become a favourite snack among Malaysians despite whatever your race or religion is and we happy that our range of products is now available to millions of Tesco customers,” said Nerumal, whose factory is based in Perak.
All DNS Kacang Puteh products are Halal-certified.
Since the beginning of the year, Tesco has added 12 new SMEs onto its shelves as part of its support towards the local business industry. Meanwhile, The Raya Jimat, Raya Selamat campaign is currently ongoing in all Tesco stores and multichannel platforms inclusive of Tesco Online, Lazada, and Shopee to 30th July 2020.
