Celebrating more than six decades, Habib has just unveiled two stunning luxury showrooms in Kuala Lumpur. While the brand is known for its fine jewellery, it is also more than just a jewellery company.
The Habib Bangsar Village II offers an exclusive shopping experience for customers.
A MALAYSIAN premier heritage jewellery brand and a pioneer in the local jewellery industry, Habib recently introduced a modern luxury concept showroom at Bangsar Village II in Kuala Lumpur. It features an exclusive space complete with its own dining area and sofa lounge corner, clearly placing priority in excellent customer service.
Another milestone is the recent opening of its largest showroom to date at Pavilion Bukit Jalil, an enviable 4,414 sq ft (410 sq m) showroom with modern aesthetics, also designed with customer’s comfort in mind.
Habib started as a small jewellery retail shop in Penang in 1958, and today they offer customers an indulgent shopping experience in their upscale showrooms nationwide and also on its ecommerce.
The brand’s journey started 64 years ago, when founder Datuk Haji Habib Mohamed Abdul Latif set up a small shop nestled along Pitt Street’s famed “Jewellers’ Corner” in Penang, now known as Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling. It was a time after the Second World War, when times were tough, but Datuk Haji Habib had the foresight and courage to be different.
Observing people leaving the jewellery stores with beaming faces, he realised that people buy jewellery to celebrate happy occasions in their lives. In his first retail shop he focused on selling diamonds and coloured gemstones, setting him apart from other gold jewellers.
Innovation and craftsmanship
Datuk Seri Meer Sadik Habib took the legacy forward and paved its path to what Habib is today.
Further strengthening the foundation his father laid, Datuk Seri Meer Sadik Habib took the legacy forward and paved its path to what Habib is today.
Noticing apparent demand gaps in the market in terms of design options in diamond jewellery catering to the Malays, Datuk Seri Meer looked at innovation.
This led to Habib developing a retail concept at their first showroom at Semua House in Kuala Lumpur.
Strategically forgoing the metal bars typically found in gold jewellery shops then, the store quickly amassed customers.
To establish Habib as a premier jewellery of choice, Datuk Seri Meer believed in the strength of marketing. In the early days he built Habib’s brand awareness through radio and television live broadcasts, wrapping buses with ads and prominent ads on billboards along major highways. And, it paid off as it increased Habib’s brand visibility.
Habib was the first public-listed jeweller in Malaysia before undergoing a privatisation exercise later in 2005 and today it has 31 showrooms across Malaysia. Datuk Seri Meer is now at the forefront as the executive chairman of the Habib Group, spearheading the company to greater heights together with his wife Datin Seri Zarida Noordin, as executive director.
An exquisite piece from the Oro Italia 916 bangle collection
Differentiating itself from its competitors, Habib became the first local jeweller to bring in the finest Italian jewellery craftsmanship with the Oro Italia 916 collection. By focusing on research and development on current trends and customers’ preferences, Habib led by collaborating with the Italians, marrying their well-earned reputation for gold artisanship with Malaysian heritage and bringing world-class quality with designs to appeal to the local market.
The intricate craftsmanship struck a chord with the local market as the Oro Italia 916 instantly became the talk of the town, capturing the hearts of Malaysians with its unique play on colour and design combinations that are contemporary and timeless.
Gaining recognition and growth
The family-owned business added another dimension to the brand as it secured the trust of some of the world’s notable names to exclusively showcase and retail their products.
An exclusive Habib diamond set.
Habib brought in “The World’s Most Perfectly Cut Diamond” from the United States – Hearts On Fire, London-based fine jewellery brand Stephen Webster, Pandora from Denmark, Les Georgettes by Altesse from France, Tous from Spain, and affordable luxury watch label ICE Watch from Belgium.
To further strengthen its position in the country, Habib diversified its business portfolio to include Chantique (a retail pre-loved and antique jewellery brand), Ar-Rahnu Express (an Islamic pawn-broking business), multiple watch brands (including the popular ICE Watch) along with the Group’s first venture in hospitality, the Jewels Hotel in Kelantan, which was launched in 2011.
Today, with over 1,300 employees under the Habib Group across Malaysia, the company nurtures bright young talents to assume major roles within the organisation through the Graduate Excellence Management School or GEMS, its own talent programme.
During the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Habib swiftly pivoted towards digital platforms and launched its e-commerce platform, www.habibjewels.com
As unimaginable as it seems for big-ticket purchases such as gold and jewellery to be made online, they saw their online sales tripled within a year of its platform launch.
Habib was recently awarded the recognition for “Brand of the Year in Fashion” by giant ecommerce platform, Lazada – a testament of its customer’s confidence and loyalty. Focusing on the reason that the founder started this jewellery business – to be a part of the many special moments in their customers’ lives – Habib continues to innovate with impeccable creations and excellent customer service.
