Klang, 20 February 2014

AEON CO. (M) BHD officially launched the celebration of their 30th Anniversary today, marking the start of a new chapter with a commemoration of their past successes and a promise to continue enriching customers’ lives with new and innovative ideas to enhance their shopping experience.

“For as long as the nation can remember, AEON has been close to the hearts of Malaysians as a retailer and a lifestyle hub. In our growth over the years, we have overcome many obstacles to get to where we are today, but looking back, it was well worth the experience,” said Nur Qamarina Chew, Managing Director of AEON CO. (M) BHD, at the kick-off event in AEON Bukit Tinggi Shopping Centre.

Themed ‘A New Beginning with You’, the yearlong celebration will see AEON pursuing various initiatives to express gratitude to the loyal customers especially AEON members, business partners, shareholders and the local community.

Enriching Lives
Moving forward, AEON aspires to be the leading retailer in providing customers with a complete lifestyle experience by focusing their efforts in 5 key areas. The first, is to provide higher quality products sourced from ethical suppliers, both locally and internationally in order to offer more variety, fresher selections and greater value to the customers. “We are proud to say that we offer a multitude of choices, catered to suit any and every customer.  AEON is the only retailer to receive the Halal certificate for our sushi outlet and processing center,” said Nur Qamarina.

The two other areas that AEON will be focusing on include enhancing customers’ entertainment and shopping experience.  AEON will continue transforming their malls into a lifestyle hub, allowing customers to shop, socialize, dine and play, making every visit to the mall an all-encompassing escapade for anyone and everyone.

AEON has prided itself in providing invaluable amenities such as comfortable benches for shoppers needing a little rest, conveniently located ‘surau’, free wireless Internet connection, and their “Kidzone” interactive playround and play areas with libraries for children, ensuring ease, peace of mind, and delight.

Customer service is another focus of AEON. “We have always believed that in order to serve our customers better, we need to develop and boost our internal talents. Our success in the last 30 years is because of the tireless and valuable contribution of our people and we place great importance in helping them grow with us,” she further added. Retail employees at AEON undergo stringent in-house training and are also sent to Japan under their leadership program to further hone their skills.

One of the key distinctions of AEON from other retailers is their integral role in contributing to the local community. As the only retailer in Malaysia with its own charity foundation, ‘With All Our Hearts’ Malaysian AEON Foundation, AEON will continue to advocate programs and initiatives for the betterment of the community especially for children. “Some of our notable efforts in the past years include investing approximately RM600,000 in schools under the BEST project to improve the learning environment; as well as a joint collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHa), where we invested RM1.2 million to install solar-powered systems in selected schools to increase awareness and educate on renewable energy source,” said Dato’ Abdullah Mohd Yusof, President of Malaysian AEON Foundation, and also the Chairman of AEON CO. (M) BHD, who was also present at the launch event.

The “Butterfly” has been assimilated into AEON’s 30th anniversary, signifying rebirth and changing for the better. “The butterfly is perhaps the most widely recognized symbol of rebirth and changing for the better. And just like it, we will emerge from the chrysalis to spread our wings to fly high. Restless to see and do more, we will strive to reach out to enrich the lives of people and our communities,” said Nur Qamarina.
To further symbolize the “Butterfly” and at the same time to reward customers, AEON is also launching an interactive mobile application called iButterfly Asia. Incorporating the augmented reality technology, it allows users to redeem a range of exciting offers from participating outlets when the catch the “butterfly” using their smart phones.

Adding on to the perks, AEON members will be enjoying more rewards with every purchase. By simply spending a minimum of RM30 in a single receipt, members will be able to redeem German branded knives and other amazing gifts.

AEON will also be focusing on extending their reach and increasing their presence, touching the lives of those in the suburban areas.

Milestones
AEON was first established in Malaysia in 1984 in response to the Malaysian government’s request to modernize the nation’s retail industry and to spur the economic growth.  AEON was also tasked to develop talents and human capital through the transfer of knowledge and expertise from Japan to Malaysia. This saw the opening of their first mall at Plaza Dayabumi in Kuala Lumpur, Jaya Jusco Store.

In 1991, the opening of their 3rd mall in Malacca was marked with their first official tree-planting initiative and the launch of ‘AEON Hometown Forests Program’. Today, the initiative has seen more than 10 million trees planted, with the participation of more than 1 million people worldwide.

In 1996, Jaya Jusco Stores Bhd was listed on the Main Board of KLSE. The company was officially changed to AEON CO. (M) BHD in 2004, while still retaining the retail store name of Jusco.

In 2012, they went through a complete rebranding exercise including a facelift, with the renaming of the stores from Jusco to AEON.