BANGKOK – Some of Thailand’s wealthiest tycoons are looking to muscle in on the convenience store sector, betting that a shift in consumer preferences for buying less but shopping more often will fuel demand for years to come.
Leading the charge is Thailand’s richest person, Mr Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi. The liquor mogul, with a net worth of about US$11.5 billion (S$15.8 billion), is planning an aggressive push to get 30,000 mom-and-pop shops to take up his business model by 2027.
Under that model, his company Berli Jucker provides logistics, marketing and data management in exchange for a store’s pledge to source a minimum level of inventory from his companies, which include Big C Retail and Thai Beverage – effectively converting stand-alone corner shops to convenience stores.
Others looking to stake their claim read like a who’s who of Thailand’s business elite….
