Aeon Big eyes 1m card members by year-end

Posted on 15 November 2013 - 05:37am

Ee Ann Nee

sunbiz@thesundaily.com

From left: Aeon Big director Mitsuru Nakata, Oyama and Rashid
at the launch of the loyalty card yesterday

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 15, 2013): Aeon Big (M) Sdn Bhd, a company under Japanese retailer Aeon Co Ltd, which operates the Aeon Big chain of hypermarkets and supermarkets in Malaysia, expects to sign up 1 million members for its newly-launched Aeon Big loyalty card by the end of this year, and contribute 3% to 5% to the company's sales growth.

Aeon Big managing director Nagahisa Oyama said Aeon Big member card holders are expected to generate 60% of its sales, similar to Jusco (now Aeon) card members which make up 60% of Aeon Co (M) Bhd's sales at its department stores.

Aeon Big started operations on Nov 1, 2012 and currently manages 28 Aeon Big (formerly Carrefour) outlets nationwide, consisting of 23 hypermarkets and five supermarkets.

Oyama said the company aims to open three outlets a year, which will require an investment of RM70 million to RM150 million per outlet.

On the forthcoming goods and services tax (GST), which is slated for April 1, 2015, he said Aeon Group has experience on the GST implementation in Japan, which increased from 3% to 8% over the years.

"With the GST, there is a big impact in terms of customers' behaviour. We're now preparing for the GST implementation," Oyama told reporters at the launch of the Aeon Big member card here yesterday.

He said Aeon Big attracts 3 million to 4 million shoppers per month at its outlets, with the Wangsa Maju outlet registering the highest sales and traffic. The Mid Valley Megamall outlet here registers some 200,000 customers per month.

The Aeon Big member card is free and offers customers one point with every ringgit spent at any Aeon Big store. Every 1,000 points collected is equivalent to a RM5 cash rebate.

Its director A. Rashid Adam said there is a possibility that the Aeon Big member card can be synergised in the future to include points collection and redemption from other retail outlets under the group.