By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, March 9: Consumer packaged goods (CPG) distributor Kim Teck Cheong Consolidated Bhd (KTC) has been appointed the master distributor for Mesra and Mini Mesra stores in Petronas stations in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan effective March 1 this year.
The company in a statement today revealed the appointment marked the first award of master distributorship by Petronas Dagangan Bhd (PDB), the principle marketing arm of Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas), to an East Malaysian company.
From March 1 to February 28, 2023, KTC said it will supply the majority of product categories, namely accessories, audio visual, biscuits, bakery products, car products, confectionery, drinks, gifts or souvenirs, groceries, health and beauty aids, snacks, stationery, books, household products, toys, electrical goods and mobile phone accessories to Mesra and Mini Mesra stores in the earlier mentioned territories.
Under the new arrangement, suppliers are required to go through KTC in order to supply their products to the Mesra stores.
Prior to awarding KTC the master distributorship, Petronas has conducted stringent reviews on numerous players in the market, the company revealed.
The company believed it was given the nod owing to its robust warehousing infrastructure, information technology (IT) infrastructure, manpower support, procurement expertise, inventory management and logistics infrastructure.
KTC executive director Dexter Lau noted: “This historical move signifies the confidence and recognition of the national oil company towards the group’s resources, infrastructure and capacity to deliver excellent service, performance and results to the 161 Mesra and Mini Mesra stores in East Malaysia.
“The group would deliver excitement and a wide range of products to the Mesra and Mini Mesra outlets to ensure win-win results for both parties.
“The partnership between KTC and Petronas is indeed a good marriage where both companies entered into a joint value creation. We have trust and confidence in taking our first step forward together.
”The appointment by Petronas will enable KTC to further grow its scale and influence over suppliers and products for retail distribution, as well as expand and strengthen the its warehouse infrastructure and transportation fleet to meet the high demand of customer traffic and sales at Mesra and Mini Mesra outlets in Petronas stations.”
Meanwhile, Lau believed that the Mesra and Mini Mesra outlets would benefit from an array of existing and new products manufactured by Gardenia Bakeries, following KTC’s takeover of the management of the renowned bakery brand in Sabah, Sarawak and Indonesia in January this year.
Lau added that the appointment has enabled the group to scale up and integrate retailing processes and system into its operations. — DayakDaily
