Matahari to open 2 Outlets

Matahari to open 2 Outlets

JAKARTA: Leading retailer PT Matahari Putra Prima will open
two upscale supermarkets later this month, which are expected to
be followed by three more of the high-end stores by the end of
the year.

The two supermarkets, called Matahari Marketplace, will open
in Serpong, a satellite town outside Jakarta, and South
Sulawesi's capital city of Makassar, Danny Konjongian, a director
at Matahari, told Dow Jones in an interview Thursday.

"The Matahari Marketplace outlets will be opened in selected
areas to regain our upper-middle class customers who have
migrated to other high-end supermarkets," he added.

The new outlets are part of Matahari's plan to open eight
supermarkets, including six Matahari Marketplace stores, as well
as six department stores this year. Matahari will spend a total
Rp 360 billion (US$42.6 million) on the expansion.

Matahari, which enjoys a 20 percent share in the domestic
retail industry excluding traditional markets, last week opened
its first Matahari Marketplace in an upmarket shopping mall in
north Jakarta. -- Dow Jones