Book documents Penang brands’ innovation, resilience in navigating market challenges
WHEN the first issue of The Star was brought out at a book launch in George Town, Penang, guests’ eyes widened.
Largely monochrome, besides its red masthead and dated Sept 9, 1971, the copy was a time capsule that highlighted the sentiments and social fabric of a different era.
Those perusing its pages felt the echo of history in their hands, as they explored headlines and moments that were once the talk of the town.
It set the tone for an evening dedicated to the enduring legacy of long-standing local businesses that have weathered decades of change, at the launch of Heritage Brands of Penang, a book authored by Datuk Tony Yeoh and published by the Penang Institute.
The book documents the journeys of some 59 brands with histories spanning at least five decades.
The oldest ones date back several centuries.
One brand featured was The Star, which started off as a northern-region newspaper, initially based along Pengkalan Weld and then Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling in Penang.
Its impactful storytelling saw it quickly outselling more established publications, and by 1976, became a national daily.
This saw the headquarters shifting to Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur.
The 1980s saw an expansion into magazine publishing and even education fairs, followed by listing on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in the 1990s.
The Star Online became Malaysia’s first Internet news portal when launched in 1995, followed by the ePaper in 2009 to cater to the nascent shift to digital platforms.
In 2001, the company relocated its headquarters to Menara Star in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
The ensuing years also saw the acquisition or launch of radio and TV stations.
By 2015, Star Publications (M) Bhd was rebranded as Star Media Group (SMG), reflecting its evolution from a traditional newspaper into a comprehensive, multi-channel media company.
That spirit of innovation and resilience in navigating market challenges and changing consumer expectations was a common thread among the brands documented in the book.
“Few realise that Penang, founded in 1786, is only 10 years younger than America. We began as a free port – raw, restless and full of migrants seeking survival.
“That hardship drove resilience and invention,” Yeoh said during the book launch.
Other brands highlighted in the book were Yin Oi Tong Medical Hall (established 1796), Ghee Hiang (1856), Chop Chuan Guan Nibong Tebal (1860) and Lam Wah Ee Hospital (1883).
Other institutions followed, such as the E&O Hotel (1885), legal firm Presgrave and Matthews (1898) and the world’s oldest surviving Chinese-language newspaper outside of China Kwong Wah Yit Poh (1910).
Household names such as Lingham’s Chilli Sauce (1908), Cheong Kim Chuan Nutmeg (1937), Sin Boon Kee Coffee (1944), Tai Tong Restaurant (1950), Hacks by Kumpulan Barkath (1953) and Thien Cheong Popo Muruku (1955) are among the brands featured.
“I have a deep admiration for these brand founders, some of whom came here with very little.
“They were like pebbles dropped into the waters of Penang and their successors are ripples across generations, riding on each wave, seeking to grow and sustain their inherited legacy,” Yeoh added.
Penang Institute executive director Datuk Dr Ooi Kee Beng said its mission was to tell Penang stories and make it accessible to the world, so they might light a spark in others.
“If you don’t leave stories behind, you cannot inspire the future. You won’t have lessons to teach and you’ll be forgotten.
“We want to give a voice to the Penang people and their can-do spirit, sense of community and contribution to the phenomenon which we all love and call Penang,” Ooi said.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the book showed how many of Penang’s most respected brands started small.
“They began with individuals who were willing to take risks and to persist despite uncertainty.
“I encourage more Penangites, especially the young, to follow this path of entrepreneurship. Be willing to take risks. Sometimes, you have to take that first step.”
Also present at the launch were Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Steven Sim, Penang infrastructure, transport and digital committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari and SMG client brand marketing (bureaus) general manager Simone Liong.
Copies of Heritage Brands of Penang retail for RM74.99 and can be purchased at Penang Institute located at 10 Jalan Brown in George Town (04-228 3306).
It will soon be available in major bookstores.
