By V.Sankara
KUALA LUMPUR — Homegrown 24-hour mini-supermarket chain KK Super Mart is hoping to open more branches in India, and – in the view of the new normal due to COVID-19 – develop an e-commerce platform to make it easier for consumers to purchase essential products online.
KK Super Mart’s founder and KK Group of Companies’ executive chairman, Datuk Seri Dr KK Chai, said KK Super Mart will continue with its expansion plans in India by opening more branches in the republic in the future in addition to the three branches in Kolkata city, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal.
“Yes, we plan to open more branches in India as we aim to provide the most conveniences to our customers. We will continue to maintain competitiveness through better value for money and diversify our product range, “he told Bernama in an email reply.
Commenting on the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme in India, Chai said the company has been distributing essential items to – and feeding hundreds of – homeless people daily in Kolkata whose livelihood has been affected by the pandemic.
Although KK Mart branches in India are unable to operate as usual due to the lockdown brought by COVID-19, the company continued to give away hundreds of food packages each day to feed those in need.
“With the company’s resources, our volunteers cook and deliver food to at least 300 people daily, so they don’t have to starve. Some 2,000 people have benefited from the assistance,” he said, adding there are 15 KK Mart branches in Nepal.
Chai said in the wake of COVID-19, his company will set up an e-commerce platform for consumers to buy from the mart without the hassle of leaving their house as there were noticeable changes in consumer’s behaviour pattern that arose due to the pandemic.
“Due to the pandemic, customers’ buying behaviour has changed from offline to online; KK Super Mart is in the midst of developing an e-commerce platform to enable customers to buy online without the need to leave their house.
“We are also bringing in fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and meat and other products to cater to our customers’ needs,” he said.
Chai shared that the mini supermarket’s growth is accelerating at a faster pace after the Movement Control Order (MCO) and foresaw that the demand for essential goods will grow despite the pandemic.
“To achieve our target of 500 outlets in the year 2020 and 1000 outlets within the next three years, we are accelerating our growth at a faster pace after the MCO…as we can foresee that the demand for essential goods will grow despite the pandemic, “said Chai.
Chai said although 2020 is a challenging year for his business, he is optimistic as essential goods are a necessity for everyone.
— BERNAMA
