Magazines Archives - 2009 November

GCH Retail targets a ‘jolly green’ Giant
Story 9 - Focus

CH Retail (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, which has the Giant hypermarkets under its umbrella, is initiating a
green policy. First, it is about saving energy. “All the buildings switch on only one row of lights,” says marketing director Ho Mun Hao. “The roof is built with panels that let the light in and save
energy. However, too much panelling may result in over-heating and the utility bill will go up. It’s all about striking the right balance.”

At the Giant hypermarket in Shah Alam, the food court has a high ceiling, allowing more light to come in and resulting in less energy cost. Its mezzanine floor features lots of windows, and there
are more panels on the roof to let the light in. The car park is on high ground, which means natural light keeps it bright. The whole complex has a glass front specially designed to conserve energy.

Energy-saving air-conditioning systems have been installed in the newer Giant hypermarkets in inrara, Putra Heights and Kota Damansara in Selangor. “There are special cooling towers to keep the temperature constant. The lighting systems there are energy-saving too.”

In the Shah Alam Giant store, there are three different cold rooms for frozen food, fish and seafood, and
bakery. Regulators are set in these cold rooms to maintain efficiency. “All kinds of technology helps us to reduce utility usage,” says Ho.

GCH is taking a holistic approach to the use of plastic bags by consumers. Banning its use or making consumers pay for them is not a solution in Ho’s view. As an example, he says the Irish government had imposed a tax on plastic bags which resulted in supermarkets charging their customers for them. It saw an immediate drop in their use, but there was an increase in the number of big garbage bags issued. There was more wastage as the bags were not even filled before being disposed of. “The initiative was a flop,” says Ho.

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