Latest news with #PandaMart
The Sun
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
foodpanda Malaysia aims to boost vendor onboarding by 50% this year
KUALA LUMPUR: foodpanda Malaysia is looking to increase vendor onboarding by 50% this year as price competition intensifies in the consumer space. Managing director Tan Ming Luk said the company has doubled its investments to grow the business development team to support the increase in vendor partnerships. 'We're onboarding 50% more vendors month-to-month this year compared to last year. What's different this year is our pace, we're no longer growing gradually. We're accelerating,' he told reporters at a media lunch today. Tan said the goal is for customers to find not only the food they want, but also essential items such as groceries when they open the app. 'That's why this part of the business never stops. We're constantly acquiring new vendors to join the platform,' he said. On the expanded SST that is set to kick in on July 1 with 5%-10% sales tax on selected, non-essential goods, Tan doesn't think the SST expansion will have a major impact, at least not in the short term. 'Our performance reflects broader trends in the offline food industry, which is expanding. Since Covid, we've noticed that food prices have gone up across the board. But despite the price increases, our business has continued to grow.' Tan shared that consumer spending activity on the platform remains strong. 'The average transaction value and order frequency have increased slightly – 5% to 6% – so we're seeing people spend more,' he said. He attributed this to a wider variety of cuisines and more attractive promotions available on the platform compared to last year. 'That could be a factor as well,' he added. Tan said affordability, vendor growth, and customer experience are foodpanda's three main focuses for 2025. 'Since we operate in a platform business, customers will always compare prices, so we need our vendors to run attractive campaigns and promotions. We have to make sure our prices remain very competitive.' Foodpanda is strengthening customer experience by integrating AI to power personalised recommendations and search results based on user behaviour. 'Every time you open the app, you may notice the carousel looks different. That's the AI at work, adapting to your preferences and behaviour.' On the logistics side, Tan said AI is used to optimise delivery routes based on traffic, weather, and restaurant-specific preparation times. 'For instance, a McDonald's outlet in Nu Sentral may need 10 minutes to prepare an order, while one in Mid Valley may need 15. So we optimise down to the outlet level, not just by brand.' Tan shared its quick commerce business (supermarkets, pharmacies, retail partners) now contributes around 20% of foodpanda's overall business. 'For this year, we have 26 Panda Mart locations, and we're not expanding further. Panda Mart is our own brand, but instead of adding more outlets, we're focused on growing the business by expanding our product assortment,' he said. 'Currently, we carry about 3,000 items, and we're aiming to increase that to 5,000. We're identifying gaps by analysing platform search history. 'For instance, if many users search for 'dental soap' and we don't have it, we'll add it. That's how we use data to support growth.' Tan said its prices tend to be slightly higher than large grocery players such as Lotus's because they have the scale to offer better margins. 'We're working to keep our prices competitive. This is also why food-panda launched our own white-label house brand.' 'We've invested heavily in R&D to create affordable versions of frequently ordered items like soaps, wipes, and snacks, making everyday essentials more accessible to our customers.'
Otago Daily Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
More unsafe children's products found at Panda Mart
The Panda Mart store in Christchurch. Photo: Supplied / Vera Jiang The Commerce Commission has identified seven more children's products it considers unsafe as part of its ongoing investigation into bargain store Panda Mart. The items - a baby walker, doll, smartphone toy, fairy cake toy, sunscreen product and two car toys - have been added to a list of 40 children's goods the commission declared to be unsafe in December. Recall notices have been issued for the 47 items sold in Panda Mart's stores in Auckland and Christchurch. The commission has made "legally binding commitments" with Panda Mart for the first time, meaning the outlet needed to halt sales of the products identified or any similar or new products that could be unsafe. "If Panda Mart breaks these commitments, the commission may take court action," a spokesperson from the agency said. "This is to protect consumers while our investigation continues and should reduce the sale of further unsafe goods." The previous list included 11 kinds of walkers, seven kinds of bikes, various kinds of toys, sunscreen products and hot water bags. The unsafe products were deemed to be non-complaint with the product safety standard or an unsafe goods notice. The commission said Panda Mart stopped the sale of the specific products mentioned in the recall late last year but continued to sell similar products. The 47 products listed on the commission's website were no longer sold by Panda Mart, the commission said. Panda Mart products that have been identified as unsafe by the Commerce Commission. Photo: Supplied / Commerce Commission Recall notices on some of these products can be found on the government's Product Safety website, which shows several non-child products were also being recalled, including a gardening tool, an extension cord and three different kinds of table lamps. Vanessa Horne, general manager of competition, fair trading and credit at the commission, said the agency was continuing to investigate the business. "We are actively monitoring this situation and continue to be concerned about the safety of products sold at Panda Mart," Horne said. "One of the commission's enduring priorities is to prioritise product safety issues that are within our regime which have the potential to cause serious harm to consumers, particularly children." Panda Mart has also come to the attention of the Australian government, with a public warning against it being issued in March. Thousands of products, including children's make-up sets, birthday cards, glitter balls and bike helmets, were considered failing to "meet mandatory product safety and information standards, including items that could be dangerous", according to Consumer Affairs Victoria. RNZ has approached Panda Mart for comment.
RNZ News
16-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
More unsafe children's products found at Panda Mart
The Panda Mart store in Christchurch. Photo: Supplied / Vera Jiang The Commerce Commission has identified seven more children's products it considers unsafe as part of its ongoing investigation into bargain store Panda Mart. The items - a baby walker, doll, smartphone toy, fairy cake toy, sunscreen product and two car toys - have been added to a list of 40 children's goods the commission declared to be unsafe in December . Recall notices have been issued for the 47 items sold in Panda Mart's stores in Auckland and Christchurch. The commission has made "legally binding commitments" with Panda Mart for the first time, meaning the outlet needed to halt sales of the products identified or any similar or new products that could be unsafe. "If Panda Mart breaks these commitments, the commission may take court action," a spokesperson from the agency said. "This is to protect consumers while our investigation continues and should reduce the sale of further unsafe goods." Panda Mart products that have been identified as unsafe by the Commerce Commission. Photo: Supplied / Commerce Commission The previous list included 11 kinds of walkers, seven kinds of bikes, various kinds of toys, sunscreen products and hot water bags. The unsafe products were deemed to be non-complaint with the product safety standard or an unsafe goods notice. The commission said Panda Mart stopped the sale of the specific products mentioned in the recall late last year but continued to sell similar products. The 47 products listed on the commission's website were no longer sold by Panda Mart, the commission said. Recall notices on some of these products can be found on the government's Product Safety website , which shows several non-child products were also being recalled, including a gardening tool, an extension cord and three different kinds of table lamps. Vanessa Horne, general manager of competition, fair trading and credit at the commission, said the agency was continuing to investigate the business. "We are actively monitoring this situation and continue to be concerned about the safety of products sold at Panda Mart," Horne said. "One of the commission's enduring priorities is to prioritise product safety issues that are within our regime which have the potential to cause serious harm to consumers, particularly children." Panda Mart has also come to the attention of the Australian government, with a public warning against it being issued in March. Thousands of products, including children's make-up sets, birthday cards, glitter balls and bike helmets, were considered failing to "meet mandatory product safety and information standards, including items that could be dangerous", according to Consumer Affairs Victoria . RNZ has approached Panda Mart for comment.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Warning about ‘deadly' homewares product
Consumers who bought a lamp from Melbourne retailer Panda Mart have been told to 'stop using it immediately' because it could kill people. Energy Safe Victoria issued an urgent safety warning after compliance officers found exposed wires on the lamps could cause an electric shock or death by electrocution if touched when the light was on. Authorities found some of the lamps had wiring covers that could be easily removed, while others had exposed wires and access to live parts when they inspected the store on Wednesday. Unsafe study desks with socket outlets that also have the potential to expose live parts were also discovered in the store. Energy Safe chief executive officer Leanne Hughson said anyone who bought a table lamp from the Cranbourne store since it opened in February should immediately stop using it. 'I cannot emphasise how important this is. These lamps are potentially deadly,' she said. 'All household mains-operated electrical products sold in Victoria should carry the regulatory compliance mark. This mark indicates that the product meets safety standards.' It's the second consumer warning that has been issued about the retailer in eight days after authorities raided the store in Melbourne's south earlier this month. Hundreds of potentially life-threatening toys, baby rattles and cosmetics were seized from the store for failing to meet safety standards. Consumer Affairs Victoria director Nicole Rich said businesses had an obligation to ensure the items they sold met safety standards and did not pose a danger to the public. 'We know many Victorians are looking for bargains when they're shopping given the cost of living, but they shouldn't have to worry about picking up dangerous products at the same time, especially ones for babies and kids,' she said. Panda Mart originated in South Africa and sells more than 50,000 cheap household products that are mostly sourced from China. The store aims to be cheaper than other low-cost retailers like Kmart. Panda Mart has been contacted for comment but indicated to authorities that they would stop selling the table lamps and remove the socket outlets from the desks. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Urgent' warning over new Aussie discount store after 'nightmare' opening: Stop using immediately'
Australian shoppers looking to pick up a bargain at the newly-opened Panda Mart in Melbourne have been urged to stay away. Hundreds of people lined up for hours to get a look inside the massive Cranbourne warehouse, with some saying it's like stepping into a real-life Temu store. It was so busy on opening day last weekend that the police were called to handle the crowds. But Consumer Affairs Victoria has issued an "urgent" warning about some of the products available for purchase. "Our inspectors have last night and today seized thousands of products we believe fail to meet mandatory product safety and information standards, including items that could be dangerous," it said. Temu issues major recall for dangerous item: 'Destroy it' ATO issues letters to Australian businesses impacted by 'massive' payment change: 'From April 1' Supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles on notice in push to ban price gouging: 'Robbing you at the till' The regulatory body said some of the products present an injury hazard, like a projectile, or present a choking or strangulation hazard, or fail to meet other safety standards, like cosmetics. One of the bigger concerns was around some of the toys and baby rattles that had button batteries that were inadequately secured or labelled. Consumer Affairs said that if you had bought any items from Panda Mart, you needed to "stop using them immediately and return them to the store for a refund"."We know many Victorians are looking for bargains when they're shopping given the cost of living, but they shouldn't have to worry about picking up dangerous products at the same time, especially ones for babies and kids," Consumer Affairs Victoria Director Nicole Rich said. "We've responded quickly to take action and remove these products from the shelves – but it's up to businesses to understand the law, and not stock them in the first place." Panda Mart has been billed as one of the biggest $2 stores you'll ever find in Australia. It has dozens of aisles stocked with every type of product you could imagine, from clothing to homewares, toys to electronics. There are more than 50,000 products on offer. The hype was so intense on the weekend opening that people started pushing and shoving each other. Staff had to shut the doors at one point to manage the antsy crowd in what was described as a "nightmare" and a "stampede". 'We apologise for the recent crowding in our store, which may have impacted your shopping experience,' Panda Mart said. 'To improve safety and comfort, we're actively managing customer flow by increasing staff, implementing crowd control, and streamlining checkout.' Panda Mart started in South Africa and has since expanded to the US, South America and New Zealand. It has plans to open a second Melbourne store in Preston.
