Makro has opened its first supermarket in Phnom Penh, providing a one-stop shopping solution to a wide range of businesses.
The new supermarket is a joint venture between Siam Makro, which operates more than 100 Makro stores in Thailand, and Cambodia’s LYP Group Company Limited, run by tycoon and senator Ly Yong Phat, the Khmer Times reported on Monday.
The new centre operates under a cash and carry scheme, a system of wholesale trading whereby goods are paid for in full at the time of purchase and taken away by the purchaser.
Makro Cambodia sells food and non-food products primarily to registered members, including small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), retailers, caterers and public institutions. Open every day from 6am to 10pm, it will offer more than 10,000 different products.
Suchada Ithijarukul, the CEO of Siam Makro, said good governance and social responsibility is an integral part of their business model and that they will work with local farmers and SMEs to source their stock.
Makro will improve living conditions in the kingdom by bringing in higher quality food at affordable prices, she said, adding that respect for the environment is also a key component of their operations in Cambodia.
“Today we invest in a new future together,” she said.
“Working hand-in-hand with our business partners, the community and the government, we are proud to deliver to you a business that will meet the professional expectations of hotels, restaurants, retailers, catering agencies and other businesses.
“We are also working with local suppliers and farmers to serve high quality, safe and affordable products, creating a one-stop shopping solution for all,” she added.
Sok Chenda Sophea, the secretary-general for the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), said at the inaugural ceremony on Sunday that Makro supermarket proposes a pioneering concept in the contry and that it is a great addition for food suppliers and buyers.
He said Makro registered with the CDC in December last year. He also pointed out that Thai investment in the country amounted to US$38 million per year on average from 1994 to 2011, but that in the last five years it has increased to US$123 million a year.
“The investment of Makro in Cambodia is important as it reflects the potential of the Cambodian economy and it also builds trust for other Thai and international investors,” Chenda Sophea said.