KUALA LUMPUR: Farm Fresh Bhd has entered into a strategic partnership with AEON Big (M) Sdn Bhd to open a new Jom Cha outlet in the retailer's Wangsa Maju store in Kuala Lumpur.
The Jom Cha brand debuted in August 2022, and the collaboration with AEON BiG is in accordance with the company's plan to swiftly expand nationwide over the next three years.
The New Straits Times reported last November that Farm Fresh wanted to open up to 300 Jomcha outlets nationally over the next three years through its wholly-owned beverage firm Farm Fresh Jomcha Sdn Bhd.
This year, the company plans to invest RM8 million and open 25 stores. Next year, it will spend RM20 million to open 75 locations in shopping malls and integrated townships.
Currently, there are 15 Jom Cha locations in Malaysia, including prominent shopping malls such as One Utama and Genting Premium Outlet.
Farm Fresh Jomcha intends to enter hypermarkets through AEON BiG, owing to the significant presence of the Farm Fresh brand within the retailer, said the company's chief executive officer Eddie Lim.
"There is already a well-established relationship between Farm Fresh and AEON BiG, therefore it is a natural fit for Jom Cha to come in as an F&B partner. We believe that our Farm to Cup concept, whereby only the freshest milk is used as the base for our products, will be a hit with AEON BiG's customers," he said.
In Malaysia, AEON BiG now runs 21 hypermarkets.
Sheikh Farouk Sheikh Mohamed, managing director of AEON Big, said Jom Cha leveraging Farm Fresh's strong brand name would resonate strongly with its customers.
"Our philosophy in AEON BiG is that everything we do, we do for our customers, and we are delighted to introduce a unique and exciting F&B store that is new, yet familiar, given that Farm Fresh milk is among the best-selling products in our stores," he said.
Jom Cha boasts 19 varieties of milk-based beverages and soft-serve ice cream.