Unlike many octogenarians who usually live a slow life, potter in the garden or babysit their grandchildren, Somsak Teraphatanakul, founder of the Foodland supermarket chain, still spends 18 hours a day at work.
At 83, Mr Somsak, known as Frank, has turned Foodland into one of the few Thai-owned supermarket chains left in a competitive market dominated by foreign players.
Foodland has 16 branches in Bangkok and major provinces and is expected to increase the number to 30 in the next five years and to 50 in the next decade.
"I believe it's possible to open 100 Foodland supermarkets in Bangkok even though there are many supermarkets or convenience stores available on almost every corner. Customer profiles in particular areas can totally differ even just across the road," Mr Somsak says.
The former salesman opened his first supermarket on Bangkok's Phloenchit Road in 1972, targeting better-off people.
Foodland had expanded at a very slow pace, opening a branch every three or four years. It moved at a faster pace only a few years ago with two to three new branches every two years. Last year was special as three new branches were opened. Its 2014 sales reached 6 billion baht.
This year, Foodland will spend 50 million baht to open Bangkok supermarkets on 2,000 square metres at The Street retail project on Ratchadaphisek Road and at The Bright community mall on Rama II Road.
Its 19th branch will be opened on Sukhaphiban Road along with a production and distribution centre on a 5.5-rai plot. The project will cost 300 million baht.
"This is our biggest investment in recent years to increase our logistics efficiency," Mr Somsak says.
The Sukhaphiban distribution centre will create 200 new jobs and serve both current Foodland supermarkets and 20 new branches in the future.
Though Foodland has far fewer stores than its rivals, each branch is often crowded with regular customers. It is now among the top five recognised supermarket brands among Thai customers.
Amid the rising trend of mergers and acquisitions among retailers around the world, the low-profile company has maintained its strong position in the market with no need to seek funding on the share market.
"Our number of outlets is obviously far lower than those of our rivals but they are all profitable. My cash flow is pretty healthy," says Mr Somsak.
Foodland is among the few Thai retail brands to have survived the invasion of foreign operators.
Mr Somsak believes location is the most important factor behind Foodland's success. Before acquiring a plot of land, he visits the site at least 20 times.
"I go to the potential plot every day for a week. I visit it at every time of the day — morning, noon and evening. I also visit when it rains or it is normal weather. By doing so, I can assess the traffic situation surrounding the plot in all aspects," he says.
Mr Somsak selects only a few good plots from about 100 he considers. This strategy is to make sure of the potential of the land before buying it. "Running a supermarket business brings a lower profit than in other retail sectors. If we acquire the wrong plot of land, it means we will lose from this location," he says.
Apart from location, product selections, quality control and services are Mr Somsak's main concerns. Those factors have become strengths that have allowed Foodland to retain its regular customers for many years.
Its regular shoppers are middle-to-high-income Thais and foreigners.
Due to the humid weather, Foodland maintains its air conditioners 24 hours a day at about 22C to keep foods such as imported chocolate and biscuits at a temperature matching world standards.
"Customers who enter Foodland supermarkets will notice that the temperature in the store is colder than in others. The weather is hot and humid, so it is necessary to keep the store temperature low to keep food fresh," Mr Somsak says.
Meat quality at all Foodland supermarkets is taken very seriously. The company has up to four butchers available all the time, providing many choices of meat products on demand for customers.
Other factors underline the increase in Foodland's popularity among customers. Teamwork is very important along with round-the-clock service and pharmaceutical departments at all stores.
"There is no other supermarket chain in this region providing 24 hours of butcher services," Mr Somsak says.
He still enjoys working. Regulars at Foodland might witness the elderly chief executive picking up items and demonstrating good practice to his employees.
Even though his son, Atipol Terahsongkran, has been serving the company for longer than two decades as assistant vice-president, Mr Somsak says retirement never crosses his mind. He still works 18-20 hours a day. He wakes up at 5am and sleeps at midnight every day.
"I love working. I never consider stepping down from my routine job. The competitive environment in supermarkets has changed and become fiercer every day. I am never afraid of anything or anybody, even a ghost," Mr Somsak says with a smile.
Apart from working at the office, Mr Somsak still exercises his brain by visiting at least three or four Foodland branches at weekends, monitoring work to see if services can be improved.
Even though business at Foodland is still healthy amid fierce competition, the chain faces personnel problems.
"The retail industry lacks skilled workers. People don't want to work in shops because they believe it is not a trendy job," Mr Somsak says.
Mr Somsak solves this problem by giving privileges to workers who join the company, even providing free apartments for some staff to keep them working with Foodland for life.
The company is in the process of setting up a training centre to train staff and support growth.
"Modern technology is our concern in order to help us survive the heavy competition," says Mr Somsak, adding that the new generation needs to be more diligent if they want to be successful.
Although Mr Somsak has lengthy experience in running the business, he still explores new ideas and gets inspiration by reading foreign books or magazines, including those written by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and investment guru Warren Buffett.
In the rapidly changing supermarket world, you are never too old to learn.