Launch of Easy by RHB Bank at Tesco

Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd is making it easier for customers at 22 of its stores nationwide to do hassle-free banking within 10 minutes through Easy by RHB at Tesco stores, a collaboration with the RHB Banking Group.
Following the successful launch of its first two financial products in January 2009 - the co-brand Tesco-RHB Credit and Debit Cards, there are now five new, instant banking products being offered to existing and new customers - expanding the range of products that customers can access quickly and conveniently while shopping at Tesco.



Whether it’s opening a savings account, applying for a credit or debit card, buying life and personal accident insurance, arranging Amanah Saham Bumiputera financing or applying for personal loans up to RM50,000, everything is quick and convenient at Tesco. Background checks and approvals are completed on the spot at conveniently located kiosks in Tesco stores.
This signifies another important milestone for Tesco in expanding its financial services in Malaysia.


“This is Tesco’s way of showing that we are looking into the needs of our customers by bringing them a more convenient way to get financial services and this new concept of banking allows our customers to get banking services during weekends and after office hours,” said Tesco’s Chief Executive Officer Tjeerd Jegen.
“We will consider any move to make shopping at Tesco an enjoyable and beneficial experience for our customers. Our customers are of utmost importance to us and we want to be able to give them as much benefit as we can. This may include entering into collaborations with other companies so that we can offer the best in the market for our customers. It is a matter of keeping the interests of our customers at heart,” added Jegen.
Easy by RHB @ Tesco is a revolutionary banking concept that offers simple, fast and convenient banking - customers just need to bring their MyKad for on-the-spot approval and instant cash or loans up to RM50,000, all without the need to fill-up any forms as details are captured electronically and a unique biometric verification system is used.
This concept of being the first and only hypermarket in Malaysia to provide banking to their customers is exclusive to Tesco. The Easy by RHB @ Tesco kiosks are now available at 22 of Tesco’s 33 stores nationwide daily, open from 10am to 10pm.

“The RHB Banking Group is appreciative to Tesco in bringing Easy into their stores, and we are certain that this step will further strengthen our partnership and cooperation. There are 33 existing Easy outlets in operation – 26 standalone, 5 Easy by RHB @ Pos Malaysia, and 2 kiosks at LRT stations - and now with Tesco as our distribution channel, which will make the total number of Easy by RHB outlets 55, we hope to reach out to more customers and give them value-add services that they do not get from other financial providers. In addition to that, this easy banking concept, touted to be the first-of-its-kind, also empowers the people to take control of their finances in a simple, convenient and affordable manner,” said Dato’ Tajuddin Atan, the RHB Banking Group’s Group Managing Director.
Building on its unique and successful Clubcard loyalty scheme, Tesco teamed up with RHB Banking Group and Visa International in January 2009 to launch two co-brand cards: the Tesco-RHB Credit and Tesco-RHB Debit cards, being an ideal “Cards-for-All” initiative to appeal to customers from all walks of life and to help them stretch their dollar.
“Since the launch, we have received positive response from our customers with close to 220,000 cards approved as at the end of April 2010. Out of which, about 51% were Credit Cards and 49% Debit Cards,” said Jegen.
For both the Tesco-RHB Credit and Debit cards, customers can collect double Clubcard Points every day at Tesco when used together with Clubcard, plus customers can collect one Clubcard Point for every two ringgit spent outside Tesco, everywhere (in and outside Malaysia) and whenever they use either of the co-brand cards, be it for dining, shopping, travelling or petrol purchases. These Clubcard points are converted to cash vouchers to help customers save when shopping at Tesco
In addition to extra Clubcard points, customers who apply for the Tesco-RHB Credit Card can get 2% cash back every day and up to 5% cash back during the last weekend of the month when they shop at Tesco.
The Tesco-RHB Debit Card provides convenience of cash in a card, making it safer and giving more savings for customers to shop at Tesco, where customers can collect double Clubcard Points every day and up to five times Clubcard Points during the last weekend of the month.
Jegen said: “This collaboration with RHB is another step in our journey to develop value-added financial and retailing services, leveraging the knowledge and best practice we have in Tesco UK and internationally. It is a step at further improving our offers and services to customers.”

Bluunis Launches 'bluutiful PASSPORT' for Ultimate Beauty

Pampering your mom during this upcoming Mother's Day isn't too much to ask for, as Bluunis, a beauty impressionist specialist, has timely launched its latest package 'bluutiful Passport' at Sunway Pyramid yesterday.



Themed 'A Journey to Beauty with Bluunis', the package 'bluutiful Passport' allows ultimate opportunity for an elite membership for women who believe that they deserve to be beautiful and young, at the same time, it aspires every woman deserves to be constantly pampered, be given unlimited rewards to enjoy perks and priviledges at a very special rates for their treatment packages.


Officiating the launch, CEO of Bluunis, Mr. James Tan (pic above), explained, "with more than 100,000 women from nationwide sharing the posivitive results, after undergoing the Bluunis treatment, the newly launch, bluutiful Passport provides corrective positive thinking towards your life, as you will be more beautiful than what you are, it enables to bring out the inspiration, be able to look younger than what you are, and this new package will double the value than what is being paid".

Mr. James added,"we do not emphasize outlook makeover, instead we activate your inner potential and confidence to make you feel good about yourself".

For more information on bluutiful Passport, please call 1800 88 2868

Mercedes Benz Malaysia Extends Lead In Premium Passenger Car Market

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia grew its lead within the premium passenger car category in the first quarter of 2010 after registering a stellar 20 per cent sales growth with 1089 units sold compared to 908 units in the same period last year.

The performance mirrors the trend set in the second half of 2009 which saw the company record sales growth of over 8 per cent to help it surpass expectations in spite of a poor year for the global auto industry in the aftermath of the economic downturn.



The company’s overall performance was bolstered by the positive economic growth and improving markets in Malaysia and helped on by its market leadership position in several segments.

The E-Class leads its segment with an impressive market share of over 60 per cent buoyed by the launch of the new E-Class end of November 2009. Meanwhile, the S-Class maintains its leadership in its segment with 56 per cent market share.

The comfortable and spacious Mercedes-Benz B180 with its strategic product and price positioning remains a favourite and dominates its segment.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class remains one of the most popular choices in the mid range premium segment. The C-Class gained strong demand by registering a significant 21 per cent growth with over 510 units sold compared to 423 units in Q109.

Earlier this year, the company launched the CGI (Charged Gasoline Injection) in their C200 and C250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY variants which are EU5 compliant and offer excellent fuel efficiency while delivering top torque performance. Providing customers with a more diverse selection, the company also brought in limited editions of the C300 Avantgarde Estate. The new models are expected to further boost sales momentum of the C-Class.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is renowned for its unrivalled dynamic design, innovative technology and superior comfort. It posted outstanding sales of over 435 units, an increase of 46 percent to remain the undisputed leader in its segment.

Not to be outdone, the Mercedes-Benz M-Class strengthened its position in the luxury SUV segment with a stunning 500 per cent sales growth. The M-Class continues to garner strong interest for its combination of indulgent luxury and excellent SUV features.

The flagship Mercedes-Benz S-Class continued to dominate its segment securing sales of 75 units due to its sophistication, style and performance. The recent introduction of the new generation S-Class is expected to reinforce its position with the encouraging demand it is already receiving.

“Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s first quarter performance clearly reflects the resilience of the auto industry and is also a testament to the excellent brand value of Mercedes-Benz which places us in a market leading position with 42 per cent share, which is seven per cent ahead of our nearest competitor, of the premium passenger car market.

“We are definitely on the right track after a dip last year. The performance to date is very gratifying and I am delighted with the strong demand for our passenger cars especially the encouraging interest in the newly launched S-Class and C-Class this year,” said Peter Honegg (pic above), President & CEO.

Mr. Honegg added,“With Mercedes-Benz, our customers recognise that they get the best in premium passenger cars and we are continuously looking at ways to enhance the customer experience from the moment they step into our showroom. With the positive market trends and encouraging feedback from our dealers, we are confident 2010 would be a good year as there are countless opportunities for growth,” said Honegg.

Commenting on the recent unveiling of the top-of-the-range super sports car, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG , Honegg remarked that it was an honour for Mercedes-Benz Malaysia as it was the first country to showcase the car ahead of its global launch.

“The SLS - AMG is just magnificent. You have to experience it to understand why the SLS - AMG is the talk of the town. We are really excited to be able to bring it in to cater to the super car enthusiasts in Malaysia,” he said.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s Commercial Vehicles business grew 50 per cent with sales of Mitsubishi FUSO trucks registering 65 per cent with 416 units sold.

“These are early days yet. We are nevertheless cautiously optimistic about our commercial vehicles segment this year. The gradual recovery we are witnessing within the markets should positively impact our performance as the year moves on. FUSO has a head start and its numbers are an encouraging sign for our trucks market,” Honegg added.

According to Honegg, the auto industry should yield positive returns with the confidence voiced by the Prime Minister recently on the expansion of the automotive industry in line with the growth of the GDP .

Global performance
Mercedes-Benz continued its positive sales trend of the two preceding months, increasing sales by nine per cent to 109,300 vehicles (March 2009: 98,500). As a result, the company delivered 15 per cent more vehicles to customers amounting to 248,500 units in the first quarter of 2010 (Q1 2009:216,000).

Sales of Mercedes-Benz were up in all regions in Q1, namely in China (incl. Hong Kong), with an amazing 105 per cent increase bringing in a record 24,100 units (Q1 2009: 11,800). In the month of March alone, sales in China rose by 57 percent to 8,500 units (March 2009: 5,400). Mercedes-Benz also posted gains in March 2010 within the Asia Pacific region in Australia (14 per cent), Japan (18 per cent), India (21 per cent) and South Korea (95 per cent). The brand also performed well in Brazil (40 percent) and Russia (40 per cent).

In the U.S., sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles rose 22 per cent to 49,200 units in the same quarter (Q1 2009: 40,200), while in Canada, sales climbed 24 per cent in March to a record 2,700 units (Q1 2009: 2,200).

Deliveries in Western Europe (excluding Germany) totaled 70,300 units in the first quarter, for a seven per cent rise (Q1 2009: 65,500). The brand once again grew its market share in Germany in March, and remains the most successful premium automaker in its home market with March sales amounting to 25,000 units (March 2009: 26,000).
The new E-Class was a major contributor to the brand’s overall sales increases in the first quarter with worldwide sales of the sedan almost doubled to 45,700 units, maintaining its market leadership in its segment as a result. The S-Class luxury sedan recorded sales of 13,500 units during the first quarter, a 23 per cent increase from Q109 figures. Sales of the C-Class sedan rose ten per cent to 57,000 vehicles through March, while sales in the SUV segment increased 12 per cent to 41,100 units.

Sa Sa Celebrates Prettily Pink 32th Anniversary

Birthday comes once a year. Sa Sa, a well-known beauty chain retailers has celebrated its 32nd Birthday across the region and 12th memorable years in Malaysia recently. Held at Empire Shopping Gallery, Miss Corina Loi (pic below, third from right) of Sa Sa Malaysia's, Senior Vice President & Country Head, voiced with enthusiasm,"we are overwhelmingly happy to receive more than 30,000 entries in the recently concluded Prettily Pink Beauty Dip contest".



Themed 'Walking Through 32 Beautiful Years With You' campaign which lasted more than a month recently, has showcased 32 Daily Beauty Stars, whereby, each Beauty Star being unveiled daily, has brought about all-time best sellers & beauty must-haves beauty products being offered at its 32 stores nationwide. And together with special 32% discounts, RM32 off, as well as exclusive gifts and attractive offers being given out, the month long celebrations have brought a never-ending cheers and excitements to most shopaholics.

In line with its ongoing 32nd anniversary, Sa Sa had rewarded its loyal shopppers with fabulous prizes in its run-up to 'Prettily Pink Anniversary Beauty Dip' contest. With a minimum spending of RM132 in single receipt, the contest entitled each shoppers to participate its Beauty Dips, which was offering 69 attractive prizes worth over RM100,000.

Meanwhile, Koh Chee Lin (pic above, second from right), the Grand Prize Winner, who had just sent in one entry, has won herself a brand new Hyundai i10 1.1AT car, after becoming the outright winner among 5 finalists in the Beauty Dip main draw. Mr. Mohamad Faiz bin Zainuddin (pic above wearing glasses) came in second & has won himself a versatile Pink Honda icon 110cc bike, Miss Teong Ting Ting (pic above, far left), the 3rd prize winner, has won herself a Pink Sony Vaio Laptop, Miss Ang See Ching (pic above, far right), the 4th prize winner, has won an Apple iPhone 3GS and lastly, Miss Yap Siow Li (pic above, second from left), the 5th prize winner, has won a Pink Sony TX-1 Digital Camera.