The anniversary celebration was held at the TGV Theatre, AEON AU2 Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur and attended by AEON management, business partners and local celebrities.
The celebration was graced by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who had mooted the establishment of AEON in Malaysia under the Look East Policy which was adopted by the government during his leadership as Prime Minister.
AEON first made its presence in Malaysia in Sept 1984 with the establishment of Jaya Jusco Stores Sdn Bhd (Jaya Jusco), in response to the Malaysian government's request to help modernise the country's retail industry .
Jaya Jusco's first outlet was opened in 1985 at the Dayabumi Building, Kuala Lumpur.
Headquartered in Japan under the name Japan United Stores Company (JUSCO), Jaya Jusco was later known as AEON CO. (M) BHD in 2004.
AEON currently operates in Malaysia through eight organisations, namely AEON CO. (M) BHD, AEON BiG (M) Sdn Bhd, AEON Credit Service (M) Berhad, AEON Delight Sdn Bhd, AEON Fantasy (M) Sdn Bhd, AEON TopValu (M) Sdn Bhd, AEON Global Supply Chain Sdn Bhd and AEON Malaysia Foundation.
The company is now supported by approximately 17,000 employees, 4,000 tenants and business partners, and more than two million AEON Member Plus cardholders.
AEON chief executive officer Shafie Shamsuddin said, "We are very grateful to be given the opportunity to celebrate this 37th anniversary. We had faced various challenges and yet AEON continues to grow through innovations, supported by a high level of enthusiasm and commitment of our employees and our ecosystem."
"We are also grateful that AEON was given the wings to soar with the commencement of its operations 37 years ago by the Malaysian government. The results are now being enjoyed by all stakeholders in the AEON ecosystem. We would also like to thank the government and its agencies as well as AEON's business partners who continue to support us," concluded Shafie.
Under this key initiative of "Sayap Bagimu", there are various pillars of sustainability programmes which include Education, Community Service, Personal Development and Creative Communications, Development of Small and Medium Industries (SMEs) and many more.
Under the Education pillar, for Phase 1, AEON through the Malaysian AEON Foundation has contributed 2,000 units of electronic devices worth RM1 million sponsored by AEON CO. (M) BHD to Form 5 students from eligible B40 families in seven states involving 292 schools. This effort is to help bridge the gap of affected students for equal learning opportunities.
Through the Creative Communication pillar, AEON produces television shows namely AEON Raikan, which is a talk show; AEON Mencari which is a reality show, AEON Sitcom and AEON miniseries.
At the celebrations, AEON announced several other initiatives under "Lebarkan Sayap Bersama AEON".
Among the initiatives are:
1. AEON Prihatin - a community development and support programme offering a business platform to small businesses to grow and be part of AEON ecosystem.
2. Financial facilities by AEON Credit Service (M) Berhad for Small and Medium Industries (SMEs) under the PUPUK@AEON programme as well as business development assistance from AEON.
3. AEON x Mamasab International Sdn Bhd which offers a total reward of RM400,000 in search of the best agents. It not only encourages Mamasab agents to strengthen the field of entrepreneurship, but also to create a holistic and competitive ecosystem.
4. Fresh2go - AEON's collaboration with local vegetable farmers that promises freshness straight from the farm to AEON customers at reasonable prices that inspires sustainable living.
5. 10.10 on myAEON2go application offers a discount of up to 10 per cent to AEON customers for every purchase of RM220 and above from Oct 8-17.
AEON also collaborated with local artist Wan Jamila or Artjamila to paint a pair of wings to symbolise the overall theme of the celebration - Sayap Bagimu.
Customers were invited to participate in the "Guess & Win" contest by counting the wings featured on this artwork. The winners will take home various prizes with a total amount of RM37,000.00. Find out more about this contest at https://www.facebook.com/AEONMallMY
Also participating in the celebration were AEON business partners and sponsors such as Hype Energy Drink, BP Diapers Sdn Bhd, Mamee-Double Decker (M) Sdn Bhd, Samsung Malaysia Electronic Sdn Bhd, Shogun Japan-Katrin BJ Sdn Bhd, Mahnaz Food Sdn Bhd Bhd, YEO Hup Seng Trading Sdn Bhd, Just You International, Uncle Zam Rice Sdn Bhd, Osim International Ltd, Poh Kong Holdings Berhad, TGV Cinemas Sdn Bhd, C&J Clarks (M) Sdn Bhd, Focus Point Vision Care Group Sdn Bhd, Tomei Gold & Jewelery Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd, Getha Bedding (M) Sdn Bhd, Al-Ikhsan Sports Sdn Bhd, Popular Book Co (M) Sdn Bhd, Mr DIY Group (M) Bhd, Carsome Sdn Bhd, Itsu World Sdn Bhd, Only Korea Retail Sdn Bhd, Jack Studio Marketing Sdn Bhd and Nori Malaysia Sdn Bhd.