Metro Cash & Carry is beginning construction on a warehouse in Myanmar’s Thilawa special economic zone.
Deputy CEO of Metro Wholesale Myanmar, Tiparayat Kaewsringarm told Nation Multimedia that the local Metro Cash & Carry subsidiary would not be looking at physical stores, but operating through the new warehouse.
“Myanmar is such a promising market that offers abundant opportunities for our B2B [business to business] wholesale business, particularly in the backdrop of the growing tourism sector,” she said. “We are convinced that our expertise in areas such as food safety and supply chain management will strongly contribute to the development and upgrade of the local supply and distribution infrastructure.”
Metro Wholesale Myanmar is investing US$10m in the new warehouse, which will open by the end of 2018. The site will house refrigerated rooms and processing facilities for fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as office space and storage.
“We plan to work together with local producers like farmers and fishermen to bring fresh quality products to be processed in our warehouse for distribution,” Kaewsringarm said.
“[The wholesale distribution platform] will provide convenience to professional customers in having a one-stop-shop for their various needs whether it is for hotels, restaurants, offices or retail.”
The company plans to open further warehouses in the future, and will focus on sourcing local produce to support Myanmar farmers and boost export opportunities through Metro Cash & Carry’s global channels.
It will also be introducing a traceability system, from “farm to fork”, and working with local farmers to improve production, harvesting, processing and packaging.
