KOTA KINABALU – After the exit of hypermarket operator Giant from Sabah, concerns are surfacing that Milimewa Superstore may also be headed down the same road.
Milimewa Superstore, which operates a chain of hypermarkets across Sabah, shuttered its fourth store in Kota Kinabalu at Jalan Pantai after the Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Luyang branches closed shop starting from October this year, the Borneo Post reports.
Troubled by dropping sales and zero tourism income, the company, headquartered in Selangor, is believed to be rethinking the viability of its operations in Sabah.
The Milimewa Superstore in Kota Kinabalu officially closed yesterday after 32 years in operation.
The store had been operating at the Kojasa Building since 1987 and, according to a source from the company, was doing well in recent years due to the boom in Sabah tourism.
However, that source of revenue took a hit after the Covid-19 pandemic began, with travel restrictions, especially on foreign travellers, denting the sector – and all those linked to it – tremendously.
Milimewa Superstore offers shoppers a variety of food and other products, and the Kota Kinabalu branch was the first superstore to have an escalator within its premises in the state capital.
Many Sabahans have since also taken to social media to reminisce about the supermarket's heyday, describing many good memories about the store since it opened its doors.
Hilang dalam milimewa https://t.co/aJcZqZb94K
— Luno (@shazarmin) December 1, 2020
? #Milimewa #KK pic.twitter.com/hd14GkGEse
— Sabah Netizen ?? (@sabah_netizen) November 30, 2020
The two-storey building had also housed Central Market and the Kojasa Supermarket, before it was closed.
Meanwhile, Milimewa Superstore's Kota Kinabalu store operations executive Stephanie Laurence said its 17 staff members were only informed of the branch's closure last Saturday.
Prior to the closures, Milimewa Superstore had 15 branches in Sabah.
The 11 remaining branches are in Penampang, Lido, Inanam, Keningau (2), Kota Marudu, Kudat, Ranau, Semporna and Tawau, all of which remain open – for now.
However, company sources told The Vibes the future of the remaining stores remain uncertain as "it will all now depend on Kuala Lumpur", referring to its head office in Selangor.
The Milimewa Superstore headquarters in Selangor could could not be reached for comments.
Meanwhile, Giant, which is owned by GCH Retail Sdn Bhd under Hong Kong’s Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd, exited the Sabah market earlier this year, closing its branches in stages.
Much of Giant’s old locations have been taken over by Bataras Sdn Bhd, a supermarket operator headquartered in Labuan. – The Vibes, December 2, 2020
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