Wednesday, February 02, 2011

a new start

i'm always dismayed when a business fails. it could be due to bad management, poor business model or just lousy location.

when i dropped by the local supermarket this morning, i was greeted by this...











....shutters slammed shut & this is supposed to be peak shopping season. a sign in the front confirmed my fears..


yeah, relocating is a nice way of saying that the business has failed at that premise. i'm not actually surprised since the mall has seen 3 changes of management & the previous supermarket & anchor tenant have both folded up as well. it's the bad feng shui, people say. how else can you explain that jusco, directly just across the road, with its slightly more expensive prices, has not only been in business at that location for over 15 years but has expanded & renovated as well?

i suppose, with the new year, there is hope for better times & for prosperity. blessed new year to one & all!


For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11

25 comments:

Jo said...

Yes, when it comes to retailing, and many other businesses for that matter, it's all about location, location, location!

Have a great year ahead, doc! With bountiful blessings, health and prosperity! :)

Yvonne Foong said...

I might also walk into Jusco automatically but, for old times' sake, I will patronize the small sundry shops that have been there since my childhood and grew old with me. Jusco came into existence much later.

Anonymous said...

Over here, shops pop up here and there and close down that sometimes, I am not even aware. That's the fast rate at which businesses set up and also close down. Very competitive operating environment and coupled with high rental.

Have a great CNY celebration! :)

foongpc said...

Yes, most likely bad feng shui. Have a Happy CNY! : )

doc said...

Jo,

i just like to see everyone succeed & prosper, so i'm a bit sad when businesses fail.

may you & your family have many blessed & prosperous new years!

doc said...

Yvonne,

i share your sentiment on the old provision shops we all grew up with, but many in my hometown have since closed as the supermart chains grew.

doc said...

Mei Teng,

you & your family have a great celebration & a blessed new year!

doc said...

Foongpc,

it's uncanny that almost every shop there suffers poor business, while jusco across the road is booming!

Yvonne Foong said...

Jusco is across, isn't it? Then they are facing different directions. Different feng shui. Not that I believe in it though. Heh heh.

PR and market visibility play a very important role. Luckily or unluckily, Malaysian doctors don't have to set up private clinics even in hospitals and do their own advertising, or else we will pay to their group or personal companies rather than the hospital. When this happens, there will be even more startups and close downs, and greater competition. But for patients, that could be a good thing.

Medie007 said...

lol... maybe really relocating leh... :D

Happy Chinese New Year Doc!

doc said...

doctors aren't allowed to solicit for business by advertisement in whatever form. even the signage at the clinics have to follow strict guidelines set by the MMC.

but like in any other businesses, there will be people who will bend the rules.

doc said...

Medie,

they already have 2 other stores in town, & with tesco, jusco & carrefour to compete, if they are really relocating, they would have revealed the new location.

Unicorn Girl said...

wrong timing for relocation .

Anyhoo Doc - Xi Nian Kuai Le& hope I got that correct :) .

iml said...

A Happy Lunar new Year! Safely back with minimal traffic congestion along the hway. Probably because we cross the tuas link at 5pm on tues and returned home from KL after bfast.

doc said...

UG,

TQ. hope you had a nice long break.

doc said...

Wenn,

blessed new year!

doc said...

Iml,

blessed new year!

you left early & came back early - that's how to avoid traffic crawl!

Yvonne Foong said...

You mean in Malaysia only or in all countries? In Dr. Howard P. House's autobiography, the author told us that there was once a chiropractor named Howard J. House who had his clinic near Dr. Howard P. House's ENT clinic. The Chiropractor had a signboard by the road. So many patients who came to the area looking for the ENT ended up at the chiropractor who claimed to be able to treat hearing loss. (Dr. Howard P. House was the founder of the House Ear Institute where I had my surgeries).

The author interviewed Dr. Howard P. House and wrote this story with tongue-in-cheek.

Birthie said...

It surprises me why a place like Giant can closed down?

doc said...

Yvonne,

i meant in m'sia. in s'pore, i've seen doctors prominently advertising their services in the papers, even to the extent of the cost of their services.

doc said...

Birthmark,

the mall has been beset with problems from the beginning, so presumably all its tenants suffer. the previous supermart, Cold Storage, folded up just after one year.

Michelle Mak said...

happy and blessed CNY to u and your family, doc!!

i had a pleasant and smooth journey back to north and vice versa.. only took 3 and half hours to arrive! :D

doc said...

Mich,

blessed CNY to you & your family. glad to know you had a safe trip!

Adino said...

Seems quite puzzling. Can't imagine a Giant store going out of business, unless it's a smaller store.

doc said...

Adino,

i think the management/marketing team plays a big role in a store's success, & this may be lacking in this erstwhile ill-fated mall.