Although the retailer does not have its own e-marketplace, it is working with home delivery service providers

by FARA AISYAH / pic by ARIF KARTONO

HOME delivery sales have spiked for hypermarket AEON Big (M) Sdn Bhd as more consumers opt for online purchases to minimise the risk of contagion amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although the retailer does not have its own e-marketplace, it is working with home delivery service providers including HappyFresh, AEON Co (M) Bhd CEO and MD Shafie Shamsuddin said.

“Our daily home delivery sales have gone up by 40% in the last two to three months since the Covid-19 outbreak.

“However, the contribution of online sales to our profit is still very small,” he told the media at the “Raikan 101 hari bersama AEON” campaign launch in Kuala Lumpur (KL) yesterday.

AEON stores and malls are minimally affected by the coronavirus as these retail spaces are not focused on tourists, Shafie added.

The retailer also has a balanced product offering that includes fashion, home appliances, groceries and more.

“We have a lot of customers coming to buy groceries, which helps to balance some of the segments which see dips in sales, including fashion.

“In early February, we saw a hike in grocery sales at our southern region stores due to Singaporean customers,” Shafie noted.

In view of the rapid spread of Covid-19, the AEON group is spending RM1.2 million to continue undertaking major sanitisation and cleaning initiatives throughout its retail outlets and stores nationwide.

The “Raikan 101 hari bersama AEON” campaign is aimed at offering customers savings and the opportunity to enjoy value-added services and experiences during the Ramadhan and Hari Raya season.

The three-month campaign will be held across all AEON retail stores including 28 AEON malls, 34 AEON departmental stores, 22 AEON Big stores, nine MaxValu Prime stores, 74 AEON Wellness and 24 Daiso specialty stores.

The group aims to obtain a total of one million new AEON member-card and wallet users during the campaign, Shafie said.

To date, the retailer has 1.5 million cardmembers registered and 600,000 wallet users.

For the year, it is focusing on its existing stores as it has been expanding its business in the past five years.

The group’s current focus is on stabilising its newly opened malls in Nilai and Kuching, to ensure their performance improves beyond present achievements.

“We are also going to focus on ensuring the existing malls are properly revamped and renewed,” Shafie said.