Matahari holds social activities
JAKARTA (JP): Matahari Department Stores, one of the country's major retail business companies, is holding a series of social activities, ranging from providing scholarships to students of poor families to giving used clothes to street children, in conjunction with its 40th anniversary.
The peak of the activities was highlighted at a ceremony at Pasar Baru Galeria in Central Jakarta on Saturday by the handing over of scholarships worth hundreds of millions of rupiah on Saturday to 1,025 children of Matahari employees.
At least 802 of the scholarships, symbolically handed over to three representatives, are for elementary students, 136 for junior high schools and 87 for senior high school students.
At the ceremony the Matahari management also ran a blood donation session involving 250 employees in cooperation with the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Red Cross. They also handed over used clothes to street children living at the Ministry of Social Services' Setia Kawan I and II shelter homes.
"The used clothes were collected from both the employees and the company's suppliers," company executive Hari Darmawan said, adding that Matahari would accept used clothes from the public for street children until Dec. 31.
Hari said the company would continue to expand its operations by opening three new outlets, in Cilegon, Sukabumi and Cianjur in West Java, next year despite the monetary crisis.
He said that two other outlets had recently been opened in Bogor in West Java and Samarinda in East Kalimantan following major riots which rocked the two cities earlier this year.
Six Matahari stores were damaged and burned during the riots, causing losses of Rp 80 billion (US$10 million).
He expressed confidence that customers would flock to the department stores despite their falling purchasing power as people would prioritize the food staples the stores provided rather than clothes or home appliances.
"We are not afraid of any reduction in sales at all. Many Indonesians are still rich and have big savings," he said.
"I'm sure that those who are not loaded are accustomed to low- cost living. They could balance their spending between food and other necessary goods," he added.
Matahari currently operates more than 70 outlets in 32 cities across the country with total floor space of more than 600,000 square meters.
Hari also stressed there would be enough food and other goods to meet pubic demand during the upcoming Christmas and Idul Fitri holiday seasons.
"The stocks are sufficient, and the clothing ranges are still in fashion," he said. (ivy)