LHI to expand Baker’s Cottage in Southeast Asia

KUALA LUMPUR: Leong Hup International Bhd (LHI) aims to expand its Baker’s Cottage brand within its established Southeast Asian market.

Currently, the LHI group has a strong and growing presence in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

LHI executive director and group chief operating officer Datuk Lau Joo Hong said LHI’s business-to-consumer channel has been very well-received in the Malaysian market.

“We believe that the same success could be equally replicated in wider Asean. Premised on careful planning and execution of the strategies, we will continue to chart growth and this would allow us to sustain and future-proof our ‘Farm-to-Plate’ business model,” he said in a statement yesterday.

On the back of the growing bottom line contribution from Baker’s Cottage, LHI remains upbeat with the chain’s growth trajectory in 2021 and 2022 amid signs of a recovery in the economy. Armed with an effective business model, the group said it has ramped up Baker’s Cottage’s outlet expansion with an additional 67 outlets by end-2020 from 28 outlets in January last year.

Since the movement control order (MCO) was implemented last year, the chain has seen brisk takeaway and delivery businesses although it hopes to resume dine-in service to customers at a later date, subject to strict observation of the government’s standard operating procedures due to Covid-19.

At the height of the MCO, daily takeaway sales for its roast chickens soared to an all-time high, averaging more than 250 roast chickens per outlet per day at its peak in May 2020 and was also strengthened by the increase in sales for its cakes and tart products.