MALAYSIA

Giant

In Malaysia, Giant is synonymous with everyday low prices, big variety and great value and recognized for offering the most vibrant, comfortable and complete shopping environment.

Giant, which turns 66 this year, pioneered the concept of modern supermarket shopping – buying everyday groceries, fresh produce and fresh foods under one roof and in a hygienic environment. As the pioneer, Giant sets the pace and standards for the industry with innovative marketing, store design and product pricing and variety.

The list of accolades for the Giant brand is growing. Interbrand ranked Giant as Malaysia's 11th Most Valuable Brand in 2007, and in 2008, the 12th Most Valuable Brand. Giant was awarded the Top Retailer in Malaysia and Best of the Best in Asia Pacific Retailers' Award for 2 consecutive years in 2007 and 2008. Other awards won in 2008 include:-

1. The Best Brands in Consumer (Hypermarkets), The Brand Laureate Award 2007/2008 for Corporate Branding.
2. Excellence Service Quality Award in the 7th Asia Pacific International Entrepreneur Excellence Award

In 2009, the list continues with:-

1. Malaysia's 13th Most Valuable Brand
2. Top Retailer in Malaysia for the Gold Award
3. Best of the Best, Asia Pacific Retailer's Award

In 2010, we won the Bronze Award in the Putra Brand Awards 2010.

Serve the Customers Better

For the consumer, Giant has thrown its weight fully behind the Malaysian Government's programme to create smart consumers of Malaysians through continuous marketing innovations, which help them seek out the best value deals. In the past few months, Giant collaborated with the Government to launch numerous campaigns that effectively brought prices of daily essentials and consumables to even lower levels, including a Price subsidy campaign for Fresh Produce. As the leading hypermarket chain in Malaysia, this campaign was a first of its kind in the industry.

Suppliers Development Programmes

For suppliers, particularly SMEs, Giant offers development programmes to help them improve production processes and marketing knowledge. Since 2005 Giant has been actively providing technical assistance and marketing support to Malaysian SMEs through various Government agencies and industry associations. One such programme is the five-year collaboration with the Persatuan Pengilang Industri & Perkhidmatan Bumiputera Malaysia (PPIPBM) to help its members.

Supporting Malaysian SMEs and helping them to grow into world class SMEs is one of Giant's priorities as a responsible corporate citizen. Towards this end, Giant organizes special trade missions for Malaysian SMEs through its sister companies in Hong Kong, Singapore and in Indonesia.

To date, Giant has lent a helping hand to at least 302 SMEs, most of which are involved in food production and services related to retailing. Some have been contracted to produce Giant's house brand items.

On another collaboration, Giant and Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) have teamed up in a special campaign themed "Citarasa Malaysia Untuk Dunia" or Malaysian Flavours for the World. Here, a wide range of SME manufactured food items were promoted at all Giant hypermarkets with the objective to support SME product development into world class standards.

In recognition of SMEs who have contributed to Giant's business and overall operations, ten SMEs received Giant's Outstanding Bumiputera Entrepreneurs' Award, 2009. The Award, the first of its kind in the retailing industry, became a motivating factor for trade and non-trade business partners of Giant to continue to improve their product range and services.

Promotion of Malaysian Products

To support Malaysian-made products, especially those manufactured by SMEs, Giant organizes special promotional events locally and abroad. Among the campaigns which have been launched include 'Buy Malaysian-made Campaign' and the Taste of Malaysia Campaign. In Malaysia, the "Produk Malaysia, Citarasa Kita", series has been highly successfully in helping SME producers to reach Giant's millions of customers throughout the country. Giant has been equally successful in helping to promote these products through the Taste of Malaysia campaign in countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia, where its sister companies operate. Recognising the importance of the development of the Malaysian agricultural sector, Giant has teamed with the Federal Agricultural and Marketing Authority (FAMA), to promote Malaysian-grown fresh produce and fruit at all its stores.

Support Programmes for the Disabled

Giant, has been awarded a Special Certificate of Appreciation from the Government, in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the training and hiring of Malaysians with disabilities.

Since the company's Job Coach Training Methods for People With Disabilities (PWD) was launched in October 2007, Giant has embarked on continuous recruitment and training of PWDs in line with its policy as an equal opportunity employer. Today, Giant has trained hundreds of PWDs and 107 are now full time employees. In addition, Giant Malaysia's PWD initiatives has gained international recognition as well. Giant was invited by the Laos People's Democratic Republic, specifically the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare to share its experiences, approaches and practice of a private company employing PWDs.

Giant takes pride in its role as an equal opportunity employer, and has initiated programmes for people with disabilities to enable them to be gainfully employed. Giant's human resource policy is to hire as many local staff as possible, including Malaysians with disabilities, and train them to take on greater responsibilities. This programme is implemented by a dedicated team of 15 trainers who work with NGOs and parents, so that they fully understand the needs of the special group of Malaysians.

Charitable Donations

In keeping with its philosophy of giving back to the community, Giant undertakes fund-raising events for charity. As the leading retailer in Malaysia, Giant stores are also selected as collection centres for raising donations to the Malaysian Association of the Blind, the Women's Aid Organisation, The Pink Ribbons Deed (Pride) and others. Throughout the years, Giant continues to contribute to orphanages, welfare homes and to the elderly.

Donations are also made during all Malaysian festive occasions to help bring cheer to those in need, such as orphans and the elderly in Selangor, Sabah, Trengganu, Pahang, Kelantan, Negri Sembilan, Perak, Cheras, Gombak and Klang.

Another charity initiative which has recently kicked off is the 'MyKasih, Love My Neighbourhood' programme. 160 poor and needy families under this programme have benefited as they are provided an allowance which is credited into their MyKad. MyKad is the identification card carried by Malaysian citizens. It now serves as a debit card for the selected families under the programme to help them budget their monthly groceries. Using a specially developed electronic payment system, the families would be able to obtain their essential groceries at Giant without using cash.

Guardian

Who knew that four decades ago in 1967, Guardian was a mere 200 square feet pharmacy at the Weld in Jalan Raja Chulan catering to the expatriate community. Today we have transformed into the largest pharmacy, health and beauty retail chain in Malaysia; offering goods and services to more than 27 million Malaysian consumers.

As we continue to expand our horizons and meet the demands of our business, we are always mindful that the main catalysts behind our success are our stakeholders, our business partners, our customers and our employees. The ever-changing market requires us at Guardian to continue reinventing ourselves to ensure that we remain relevant, and the community pharmacy of choice for the Malaysian consumers.

As we celebrate our 43rd anniversary in 2010, we continue to stay true to our core values of providing professional pharmacy services in convenient locations, offering superior product ranges at value prices, providing exciting promotions, good customer service in a friendly shopping ambiance.

Guardian's commitment to its customers' needs is reflected in the dedicated team of employees including pharmacists, who impart professional advice and consultation to customers. This also brought forth an agreement through a memorandum of understanding with University Kebangsaan Malaysia and more recently the International Medical University, to facilitate a community pharmacy attachment programme. Students in this programme will undergo a structured training experience to develop working skills and abilities required in PURSING a career as a pharmacist in a community pharmacy such as Guardian.

Our people are our strength! We want to grow our people in line with the company's growth. Realizing their true potential and we are serious about developing our people and providing them the best opportunity for growth, empowering the skills and product knowledge to better serve our customers in addition to creating a conducive working environment that will ultimately result in optimum productivity. As we are all aware, pharmacists are integral players in our business and as we continue to grow, we will require more dynamic pharmacists, who have the desire to provide professional counseling services, a passion for retail and an eye for detail.

In tandem with our growth, helping society is part of our corporate psyche, as we push ahead to grow the company we will always place the community as a priority regardless of the circumstances. We are proud to reinforce our belief in the practice of corporate philanthropy through non profit organizations; pride foundation and their inspiring breast cancer awareness and prevention programs, the Women's Aid Organization (WAO); a women's organization that offers shelter and refuge to abused women and children, World Vision Malaysia including charity homes whom are dedicated to protecting children, families, aged and communities to overcome poverty.