KUCHING: After almost 40 years in operation, Syarikat Jakel Holdings Sendirian Berhad has announced plans to spread its wings and set up two new JAKEL branches in Sarawak.
This is very exciting news for Sarawakians who are well acquainted with the nation’s largest textile retailer renowned for its best and most extensive fabrics collections as well as other products.
Starting as a textile wholesale supplier to small retailers around the town of Muar in Johor, the JAKEL company was founded by the late Mohamed Jakel Ahmad in 1983.
Throughout the years, it has expanded to 23 branches and won many awards including recognition from the Malaysia Book of Records for the Largest Textile Store in Malaysia.
Group managing director Datuk Mohamed Faroz Mohamed Jakel disclosed that it has been his dream to see JAKEL in Sarawak.
With the establishment of a new partnership in Sarawak, he said this paved the way for JAKEL to be in the state.
“We have a very strong partner who shares the same dream as us. Our dream is to grow together with Sarawak.
“We are in all states (in Peninsular Malaysia), but we are not here which means we are not that good yet. One of our policies is reaching our customers and now we are reaching our customers in Sarawak.
“Thus, having our branch in Sarawak will complete JAKEL’s mission,” he told New Sarawak Tribune and its sister paper, Suara Sarawak in an exclusive interview.
LOCATION, LOCATION
Mohamed Faroz is confident that the establishment and presence of JAKEL branches in Sarawak will be able to attract many customers.
On the selection of location, he said they are also targeting Brunei customers with the setting up of a branch in Miri.
“Our target is to attract Brunei customers to shop in Miri, so it can bring economic spillover and multiplier effects to the people of Miri and the state itself,” he said.
As for a branch in Kuching, Mohamed Faroz said it will do well in attracting customers far and near to the state’s capital.
“We have approximately five million customers in our database for all over Malaysia and of these, more than 100,000 customers are from Kuching itself. This does not include Sarawakian customers who are from other parts of the state like Mukah among others,” he said.
With the relocation of Indonesia’s capital to Nusantara in Kalimantan Barat, he said this is an added advantage for Sarawak.
“I was recently on a trip to Kuching during which I also paid a courtesy visit to Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg. I can see that people here are fond of JAKEL, so it is the right time for us to be here.
“Moreover, I was very impressed with how developed Kuching is, and I believe it will be the spot for shopping especially with the relocation of Indonesia’s capital,” he said.
BRINGING THE ULTIMATE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
From a myriad of fabrics, ready-to-wear clothing, bridal items, essentials and home furnishings, shoppers frequenting JAKEL are often spoilt for choice.
As a one-stop centre, JAKEL caters to all markets as their products’ price ranges from lowest to high-end, making it a good spot for customers to patronise.
Stating how it is not just about selling their products, Mohamed Faroz said they are eager to provide customers with a great shopping experience through the delivery of the best services.
“JAKEL is known as a place where customers can bargain. This often creates feel-good satisfaction in customers because they can get the products that they want at the price they are willing to pay.
“We strive to make our customers happy and have a pleasant experience when they are shopping with us,” he said.
He also said they are planning to construct JAKEL’s own building for the branches in Sarawak to ensure it has amenities and facilities that can contribute to customers’ shopping experience.
“We want it to be well equipped with amenities and facilities because we are thinking about the long term. We cannot decide for the short term because JAKEL’s customers are always growing, so we want to bring value to our customers,” he said.
Mohamed Faroz disclosed that they have been scouting a few locations and aspire to partner with the state government to build a textile city.
He said the textile city is not only for JAKEL, but for industry players to tap into JAKEL’s customers’ base.
“We are planning to purchase land and we have been to a few locations. I will come back to Sarawak with my team for three to four days to further deliberate and see movement of activities before we decide,” he said.
Noting how one of JAKEL’s branches in Peninsular Malaysia is 300,000 square feet in size, Mohamed Faroz said they are looking to establish the branches in Sarawak to be at least half that size.
“When customers come to JAKEL to shop, they would get hungry so there will be eateries to cater to this. We do not do business alone, we bring all our friends (other businesses) together so they can enjoy the benefits of customers who come to JAKEL.
“We are not only focusing on customers within the area. For instance, customers who are coming from other parts of the state would surely need accommodation, thus this will create a spillover effect for other businesses,” he said.
EMPOWERING LOCAL PEOPLE AND INDUSTRY PLAYERS
The establishment of JAKEL branches in Sarawak will not only bring shopping joy to Sarawakians, but also the creation of job opportunities.
Mohamed Faroz said they are planning to employ 500 to 700 local people for their branch in Kuching and Miri with plans to increase the number during festive seasons.
JAKEL currently has some 6,000 employees for its branches nationwide.
“Of course, we will train the local staff in Kuala Lumpur for one to two months. We want them to get proper training for product knowledge, customer service skills and so on.
“Based on our operations in Peninsular Malaysia, we would take some 2,000 part-timers who are either high school leavers or college and university graduates. They earn a very good salary because we are paying RM2,200 instead of the minimum wage of RM1,500.
“This does not include sales commission and other allowance, so they can happily go back with RM3,000 to RM4,000 per month,” he said.
At the same time, Mohamed Faroz said JAKEL wants to be the champion in supporting the local industry.
He said JAKEL will work with local artists to feature local textiles such as songket and tenun Sarawak.
“We support the industry players, and we want to become the champion in supporting the local industry, that is our mission. We are not here to be selfish, we want to contribute to the state and the people,” he said.
OF NEW TRENDS AND CHALLENGES
As a prominent player in the textile industry, JAKEL has successfully embraced the ever-evolving trends and challenges that come with a rapidly changing market.
Mohamed Faroz said the ever-changing trends and emergence of new designers provide JAKEL with the opportunity to learn.
He pointed out that JAKEL is in fact a trendsetter as it has a full team of designers who are encouraged to be innovative and creative.
“We believe that people are now very creative with young designers coming up with new things. This is good for us because we can learn from them, and it is a healthy competition that allows us to improve ourselves.
“We also have many brands like ARIANI, JAKEL Carpet and Prima Valet under us, so we can cater to customers of various age groups, backgrounds, and interests,” he said.
Moreover, Mohamed Faroz said JAKEL often collaborates with local artists like Aaron Aziz, Nabil Ahmad, Scha Al Yahya and Awal Ashaari among others.
“The people know that our products are unique. We have also segregated our products or collections with local artists who have many followers.
“This resonates well with the people because they are proud to have and wear products which are endorsed by our celebrity ambassadors,” he said.
CONFIDENCE IN SARAWAK
Mohamed Faroz expressed his admiration and respect for Abang Johari’s leadership in spearheading Sarawak to become a developed and high-income state by the year 2030.
Describing Abang Johari as a leader who is wise, focused and with a fantastic foresight, he said Sarawak is very fortunate to have a strong government.
“Abang Johari knows the industry and how to market Sarawak to the international level. With his leadership, I am very confident that JAKEL can grow together with the state.
“Most importantly, Sarawak has a very strong and stable government under Abang Johari’s leadership. God willing, JAKEL will be a huge success here,” he said.
