Big C Thailand has new owners in the Berli Jucker Group (BJG) and they have big plans according to Retail News Asia. The group will look at a major expansion in the country focusing on opening stores in regions where Big C has yet to establish a large presence.
Several new stores have already been planned for border cities and major districts where the brand is not well represented. The company believes these “blue ocean” sites have a lot of potential and will help Big C continue its growth in Thailand.
Retail News Asia reported that Big C opened its 126th hypermarket in May. The store, which is located in Ranong, is the first new Big C to open in 2016. The company is hoping the new outlet attracts 10,000 shoppers a day with Burmese citizens either coming from across the border or living and working in the province accounting for a large portion of that total.
Big C Thailand would like to open five more hypermarkets this year with these being located in the south and northeast of Thailand. Three smaller Big C Market stores are likely to open in the north while a total of 75 mini Big C convenience stores will also open their doors in 2016.
“BJG will help strengthen Big C via its diversified products and in the area of logistics. It may help the company to speed up its expansion in the future,” Songsak Wijaithammarit, assistant VP for operations, told the website. “Our shareholders were impressed by the new major shareholder of Big C, which is Thai.”
Berli Jucker Group purchased its stake in Big C Thailand from Group Casino and Central Group during the past few months and have recently taken control of the board. A budget for expansion of up to THB6 billion has already been approved. There are a total of 125 Big C stores as well 55 Big C Market stores and 397 Mini Big C stores currently operating Thailand.
Image: Big C Supercenter via wikipedia.org
