Low priced halal goods a big draw at Mydin Hypermarket
SANDAKAN: Excitement filled the air as shoppers thronged the newly opened Mydin Hypermarket in Sejati Ujana, Mile 7 here to buy halal products at low prices.
The hypermarket, offering a wide range of halal producs, was packed with a big crowd immediately after it opened for business on Friday.
One of the customers, Hatta Bin Yunus @ Sawadi, when met at the hypermarket yesterday, said he was excited and happy that Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd (Mydin) had decided to open its hypermarket in Sandakan.
“In Sabah, Mydin is a new brand. It provides an opportunity for Sabahans to have more choices of products at reasonable prices, especially for products that are only available in Mydin.
“Mydin also provides job opportunities to the locals, and the opening of this hypermarket would create a more competitive market among the hypermarkets and supermarkets here, thus making the prices of goods in Sandakan reasonably lower. This would help to ease the burden of the local community, especially in this current economic condition,” he said.
Hatta, who is a teacher, is also a member of Suluk Culture and Arts Heritage Association of Sandakan.
He said he was happy that Mydin welcomes nongovernmental organisations to utilise its stage facility for free.
“I am so happy that Mydin is allowing NGOs to use its stage for free. This is an absolutely wonderful opportunity for me to showcase the culture and arts of the Suluk race through Suluk dance performances,” he added.
The hypermarket is also equipped with a mall with 24 shop lots and 68 promotional lots.
Ghazally Malik, manager of one of the 24 shops, Elman Unisex Barber Shop, said that he was happy to have the shop opened in Mydin hypermarket as he believed in its potential in pulling customers.
“Mydin Hypermarket is located in a very strategic location where the people from residential areas around here would come to do shopping.
It is also a very suitable place for family outings as it has comfortable parking space, a lot of shops and the prices of goods in Mydin are also reasonable.
“Hence, we are positive that the business will be good here,” he said.
Another shop owner, who opened the Uncle Bob franchise outlet on the Ground Floor of Mydin hypermarket, Luis Ng Hung Chong said that the opening of Mydin hypermarket here would benefit the local community.
“This Mydin Hypermarket is big. It was already well-known in West Malaysia. We are happy that it has opened in Sandakan because we believe that it would boost the growth of the local economy,” Luis said.
According to Mydin’s Management Director, Datuk Wira Haji Ameer Ali Mydin during the opening ceremony of the hypermarket on Friday, the opening of the hypermarket here had provided job opportunities to more than 400 locals.
He said that the shops and promotional lots in Mydin also offered jobs to about 300 people, which summed up to 700 jobs offered to the locals.
Ameer said that he hoped the jobs provided to the locals would boost the economy in the area.
Mydin has also prepared a special section for local SmallMedium Enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs to sell their products, in an effort to promote and market their products so that they could compete with international products and have a medium to grow their products.
“We hope to provide the local SME entrepreneurs the opportunity to grow their businesses, which would also help in the economy of the local community,” Ameer said.
One of the SME entrepreneurs, who are selling their products here, Fadilah M.Yunus, thanked Mydin for the opportunity to market her products in the hypermarket.
“I thank Mydin for providing me this opportunity to market my products here. This would be a platform for me to grow my business and hopefully through Mydin, my products would reach more people,” she said.
Fadilah, who sells raw fish cracker and dip sauce that she ships from Terengganu, said that she was surprised to see such a high turnout in Sandakan Mydin Hypermarket.
“I am confident that with Mydin’s ability to attract customers, but I did not expect so many people. I am surprised and happy because more customers are good for business,” she added.
Mydin Hypermarket here provides various facilities that are not available in other hypermarkets here. It has
350 parking lots, designated parking space for the disabled, baby strollers, wheelchairs, baby changing room (nursing room), Surau (prayer room) for men and women, ATM machine, a customer service counter, an information counter, a redemption counter, and it provides E-hailing service (Grab).
Mydin also has a food court with eight food stalls located on the ground floor, on the outside near the entrance of the hypermarket.
The food stalls offer different kind of food, and signature delicacies from different ethnic groups.
Among shops and stalls that are available in Mydin are Karamel Almondo, Fast & Clean Car Wash, Cool City, Golden Fish, Aisyah Cosmetics, Novelty Bakery, Uncle Bob, Drink Kiosk, 3Onster Eyewear, Cutie & Kiddie, Cutie Accessories, Al Falah Nasi Kandar, The Fantasyland, Syardah’s Collection, E Century Communication Sdn Bhd, Tealive, Elman Unisex Barber Shop, and many more.
Mydin is also working with the Farmers Organisation Authority Malaysia to help promote locals’ products by providing a special section for SME entrepreneurs to sell their products.
The opening ceremony of Mydin Hypermarket on Friday was graced by State nominated assemblyman, Jaffari Waliam. At a press conference later that day, Jaffari said that he welcomed Mydin which originates from West Malaysia to Sandakan with open arms.
“On behalf of the people of Sandakan, I would like to thank Datuk Wira Haji Ameer for choosing Sandakan as a location for Mydin. We are very proud and happy to have Mydin here that offers goods at reasonable prices and that are 100 percent halal,” he said.
Jaffari said the opening of Mydin hypermarket here would definitely be a catalyst to spur the local economy.