1Malaysia grocery stores promise cheaper goods

According to The Star, a Malaysian newspaper, the first 1Malaysia store was launched on Wednesday at the Kelana Jaya LRT station. The store, the first of many to come, will have part of its inventory priced significantly lower than market prices.

Prime Minister Najib Razak, architect of the now ubiquitous 1Malaysia programme, was in attendance to launch the store. The Star report quoted him as saying, "It is (1Malaysia) not ceremonial, rhetoric or something distant. It has moved forward to offering the people products and services that meet their needs."

Among the store's substantial inventory are 250 grocery items carrying the brand name "Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia." These are priced 30% to 40% below market prices, Najib noted. He explained that the Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia initiative was comparable to the "restaurant rakyat" - an effort of his late father, former Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak, in the 1970s.

The store will be operated by Mydin Mohamed Holding Berhad following a mini market modus operandi. It will have basic necessities - rice, eggs, cooking oil, etc. - and more.