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The Sun
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Eco-Shop Marketing targets 15-20% revenue, Patami growth in 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: Eco-Shop Marketing Bhd is targeting growth of 15%–20% in revenue and profit after tax and minority interest (Patami) in 2025, supported by business volume and consumer demand, despite recent price adjustments. Chief financial officer Chong Yew Kai said the company observed no negative reaction when it raised product entry prices from RM2.40 to RM2.60 last month. 'In terms of not only revenue but also Patami, we are looking at 15% to 20% of growth year-on-year. Last round we had this price increase in 2022. So similar trends. Things are moving as per our expectation,' he told a press conference after the company's listing on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia today. CEO Jessica Ng said the listing marks a new chapter for the household products retailer, enabling it to scale growth and strengthen its market position. 'With enhanced capital, we are now better positioned to expand our nationwide footprint, strengthen our warehousing and distribution capabilities, and invest in technology to enhance operations and customer experience – all while staying true to our promise of delivering unbeatable everyday value.' She said Eco-Shop's business model is built on high volume and scale, which enables it to achieve operational efficiency while keeping prices ultra-affordable. Ng noted that about 75% of the company's products are house brands, many of which are custom-packaged in smaller quantities to maintain affordability and variety. 'We buy in bulk and break them down into smaller packs – like our sachet drinks – making them more accessible to our customers. Our focus remains on daily essentials and basic home living needs.' To enhance customer experience, Ng said, Eco-Shop has refreshed its store image and layout to provide a more comfortable and enjoyable shopping environment. Eco-Shop plans to open 70 new stores annually, including five to six outlets under its Ecoplus brand, a premium retail concept aimed at urban markets and located in shopping malls. Ecoplus offers an expanded range of products beyond the standard RM2.60 price point, with options priced at RM6, RM10 and RM20. Ng said the company is open to future expansion into the Asean market, although its current focus remains on Malaysia. 'The dollar shop segment is still relatively new in Asia. Outside of mature markets like the US and Japan, there's a lot of room to grow. We're the first in this segment to list, and if the opportunity arises, we will evaluate it.' Eco-Shop made its debut on the Main Market at RM1.25 with a 12 sen premium over its initial public offering (IPO) price of RM1.13, with 25 million shares traded. It closed at RM1.20, up 6.19% from its IPO price, with over 209 million shares changing hands, making it one of the most actively traded counters. The IPO raised RM419.87 million for Eco-Shop, whichhas allocated RM56.27 million (13.4%) to accelerate the expansion of its retail footprint nationwide, RM200 million (47.6%) to expand its distribution centres, RM10.90 million (2.6%) for investment in information technology hardware and software, RM100 million (23.8%) to repay bank borrowings and RM52.7 million (12.6%) for working capital purposes and to defray the cost of the IPO and listing. Eco-Shop's Patami has grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 156% over the last three financial years from May 31, 2022 to 2024. The company recently reported Patami growth of 36% year-on-year for the nine months ended Feb 28, 2025. Maybank Investment Bank Bhd is the principal adviser, joint global coordinator, joint bookrunner and sole underwriter for the IPO. UBS Securities Malaysia Sdn Bhd and UBS AG, Singapore branch, are joint global coordinators and Joint bookrunners, while RHB Investment Bank is also a joint bookrunner.
New Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Eco-Shop positive about performance despite price hike
KUALA LUMPUR: Household retailer Eco-Shop Marketing Bhd remains optimistic about its performance despite hiking up product prices to RM2.60 from RM2.40 last month. Its chief financial officer Chong Yew Kai said the company raised prices to RM2.40 from RM2.20 in 2022 and saw no negative market reaction. "I see no changes in company performance (after the price increase), it was as per our expectation. So, we are not seeing any different kind of market reaction. "Of course, (we are in) a transition period (now). Moving forward, we are looking at a very strong performance," he told a press conference after today's listing. Recently, Eco-Shop posted a higher net profit of RM61.72 million for the third quarter of its financial year ending Feb 28, 2025 (3Q FY2025), compared to RM42.57 million in the same period a year ago. The revenue increased 17.2 per cent to RM736.35 million in 3Q FY2025 from RM628.41 million previously, driven by the expansion of the group's store network with the opening of 26 new outlets, bringing the total number of stores to 349 in 3Q FY2025 from 278 in 3Q FY2024. Meanwhile, Eco-Shop chief executive officer and executive director Jessica Ng said the company would evaluate their opportunities to venture into the ASEAN market in the future, as the dollar shop segment in the region is still new. Dollar shops offer a wide range of products at fixed, low prices and typically carry daily items like household goods, snacks, and personal care products, and may also include items like stationery and hardware. However, she said the group would likely focus their business expansion in Malaysia for now, so that more Malaysians would have access to affordable products. As of today, Eco-Shop has 358 stores in Malaysia, comprising 336 Eco-Shop stores and 22 Eco-Plus stores. Today, Eco-Shop debuted on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia at RM1.25, a premium of 12 sen from its initial public offering (IPO) price of RM1.13, with 25 million shares traded. Under its listing exercise, the company had raised RM419.87 million, where RM200 million or 51 per cent would be utilised for distribution centre expansion, RM56.27 million (14.4 per cent) for new store opening, and RM8.52 million (2.2 per cent) for IT hardware and software. "RM100 million or 25.5 per cent would be utilised to repay bank borrowings, and RM27.32 million (7.0 per cent) for IPO and listing expenses," it said. At 5 pm, Eco-Shop closed the day trading at RM1.20, seven sen higher than its issue price of RM1.13, with the company also emerging as the most active stock for the day with 209.16 million shares changing hands.
