Berjaya Food banks on organic growth, store expansion
KUALA LUMPUR: Berjaya Food (BFood) Bhd remains upbeat on business prospects despite the current market conditions as it continues to embark on organic growth and aggressive store expansion.
According to its group chief executive officer Sydney Quays, BFood will stay focused on its plan to open up to 40 new outlets each year.
BFood has about 500 outlets in its stable, namely Kenny Rogers Roasters (KRR) operated by Berjaya Roasters (M) Sdn Bhd and Jollibean operated by Berjaya Jollibean (M) Sdn Bhd.
It also owns the Malaysian Starbucks franchise (via Berjaya Starbucks Coffee Co), a prized asset in its stable with 260 outlets nationwide, contributing more than twothirds to its revenue.
“The expansion plan in Malaysia is focused on opening 30 to 40 outlets per year, so the future, as in any Starbucks around the world, is constant growth and innovation.
“Many times you get customers requesting us to open Starbucks (outlets) as close to them as possible, some even want them next door to their house... that’s why we know we are a very acceptable brand. The strategy now is to expose the brand to those people outside of Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
According to Quays, BFood will be opening new Starbucks stores soon in Batu Pahat and Segamat (both in Johor), Taiping (Perak) and Sibu (Sarawak).
Quays was speaking after accepting an award at the Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards (ACES) ceremony in Singapore recently for his role in developing the coffee giant in the Malaysian market.
This year’s ACES Award had a total of 41 winners.
Quays was the only Eminent Leaders in Asia category winner. He is a pioneer of Berjaya Starbucks Coffee Co and was instrumental in the 1998 establishment of the Starbucks brand in Malaysia.
The ACES Awards is organised by the MORS Group whose mission is to assist companies, corporate leaders and industrialists to share a platform to exhibit leadership and sustainability excellence by learning from market experts across the world.
There were two winners for the Top Companies In Asia award, including Malaysian firm Pharmaniaga Bhd.
Six companies were named “Top SMEs In Asia”, including Rakyat Holdings Sdn Bhd and Talk Focus Sdn Bhd.
Datuk Farshila Emran of Pharmaniaga Bhd won the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Management personalities who scored high in the “Outstanding Leaders In Asia” category included six stellar industry notables and two Malaysians — Kay Khoon Khoo of A. Shulman Plastic (M) Sdn Bhd and Tan Sri Lim Hock San of LBS Bina Group Bhd. Khairul Ashraf Kammed