MELAKA: Melaka’s homegrown cat food and accessory store has received praise from the state government for its rapid expansion, despite the 47-year-old founder facing many challenges during the height of Covid-19.
State entrepreneur, cooperative development and consumer affairs committee chairman Allex Seah Shoo Chin said he was overjoyed to hear that the Cat Supermarket brand has opened its fourth outlet in Kota Damansara in Selangor yesterday, just three years after it started operations.
“This is a story of a local entrepreneur’s resilience and inspiration of what Melaka can achieve.
“The success of Cat Supermarket can spur the small and medium entrepreneurs in the state to achieve greater heights,” he said yesterday.
Seah said the proprietor of the pet store, Datuk Chew Chert Fong, endured a roller coaster experience for two years due to the impact of Covid-19 in 2021.
“He had never given up despite facing heavy losses during that period, and triumphed over the challenges,” said Seah, who added the state government is willing to work with Chew to build and inspire more local entrepreneurs.
Chew, who was managing The Shore Oceanarium then, had almost closed his business after losing RM4mil due to a series of movement control order.
The father of three then decided to invest his last savings to buy pet food products and sell them to the locals as his final attempt to survive the pandemic.
Initially, Chew started promoting affordable pet food to those who intended to feed the strays, before opening his first store in Bukit Baru here in 2021.
Currently, he has two stores in Melaka and two more in the Klang Valley.
When interviewed, Chew said the Kota Damansara branch is a large store specialising in pet food as well as accessories.
He said the growth of all his outlets was due to the fact that owners pay more attention to the personalised needs of pets and their quality of life.
“The changes in the concept of pet raising make owners do more to meet the needs of their pets.
“The trend demands higher-end products and services,” he said, adding that his next store expansion will be in Indonesia.
