Giant Malaysia plans six new hypermarkets

Malaysian retailer GCH Retail plans to add six stores to its Giant hypermarket network this year and relaunch 28 outlets.

The new Giant Malaysia stores will open in Setapak (Kuala Lumpur), ICangar (Kedah), Kota Baru (Kelantan) and Jeneh (Terenggam), with the other two sites yet to be revealed.

Operations director Ernest Potgleter said this week that Giant decided to relaunch its stores after customer complaints they had started to look outdated.

“We have to revive the business. The stores have not been refurbished for five years, and It is time for a new look.”

Giant Malaysia serves 23 million customers a week, and Potgleter said the group has to be cheaper than other retailers while providing good service, good products and a good instore environment.

He was speaking at the relaunch of Giant Hypermarket Shah Alam, in the Selangor state capital, which has been refurbished at a cost of RM2.5 million ($568,000).

General merchandising director Lee Slew Mei said the store’s layout had been changed to make shopping a one-stop experience for its customers.

“Child-related products are put together, and we have a seasonal promotional area. A back-to-school promotion is running for six weeks with related products, including stationery, school bags and uniforms, all in one place.”

At the same time, Giant had brought in new ranges, some of them exclusive, said Lee Slew Mei.

“We have the O’Fresh range which comes directly from farms in Cameron Highlands. The vegetables do not go through distribution centres so are of better quality and the price is also lower.”