FIVE, a new oil company in Malaysia with a focus on localisation, hosted an online brand launch on October 16, 2020 (Friday). Among those invited include the Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KDPNHEP), Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi, who was VIP at the ceremony. Under the witness of Datuk Alexander and other distinguished guests, FIVE officially announced its entry into the Malaysian petrol retail industry.

In line with government guidelines on COVID-19 prevention, FIVE hosted an online conference with minimal attendance instead of a physical gathering.

FIVE is a new Malaysian brand. It received its operating license from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry on 15 January 2020, and set up its first petrol station on 7 March 2020 in Selangor.

Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi (third from left) hosted the FIVE launch under the new norm. From right: Dato Seri King Lim; Datuk Seri Hj. Hasnol Zam Zam Bin Hj.Ahmad, Ketua Setiausaha KPDNHEP; Datuk Haji Juhari bin Abdul Ghani; Datuk Seri Christopher Lim, President of Seng Group; and Tuan Khalil Jaffri Muhammad Muri, head of retail at Petronas Dagangan Bhd.

"Early this year, FIVE was in the midst of its building plans after acquiring a license, when the pandemic hit. In compliance with local regulations, FIVE had slowed down its building plans. Nevertheless, we have never stopped making progress to ensure we bring the best products and services to consumers," said Dato' Hj.Juhari bin Abdul Ghani, Chairman of the Board at FIVE.

"Our vision is to develop FIVE as Malaysia's most competitive and promising local brand. The next step is to identify the most suitable locations in Malaysia to set up modern, high-tech, one-stop petrol stations, and provide Malaysians with the best refuelling experience," said Dato' Hj. Juhari.

Dato' Hj.Juhari also shared that the distribution of petrol stations between urban and rural areas are highly uneven.

"Due to factors such as population density, location, economic activities and resources, petrol retail brands rarely consider rural areas as a place to setup station. For this reason, people who live in remote areas often lack petrol supply."

"FIVE is founded to address this issue. We hope to bring more petrol stations to more locations, so even residents in rural areas can enjoy the technology and convenience offered by FIVE."

Dato' Hj.Juhari said that through careful development and expansion, FIVE hopes to bring exceptional products and business opportunities to rural locations. This is expected to improve the quality of life in rural areas, contribute to the economy, and take petrol retail in Malaysia to the next level.

FIVE is a completely local brand. When discussing the rationale for focusing on local market development, FIVE Managing Director Dato' Sri Dr King Lim Chin Fui said: "Compared to multinational companies, local brands have the upper hand in terms of understanding local needs. Therefore they are able to produce and offer products that are more suited for the local market."

Dato' Sri Dr King Lim Chin Fui also shared that FIVE takes a customer-first approach, and is committed to providing satisfactory products and services to consumers. To ensure the steady supply of premium petrol, FIVE has established a long-term partnership with a large oil company in Malaysia.

Malaysia is an oil exporting company. Being a local brand, FIVE is also supportive of local products. By purchasing locally, FIVE hopes to limit the flow of local currency outside the country.

"That is why we believe local brands play a huge role in strengthening the local economy and bringing shared prosperity. At the same time, we can answer the government's call to support local businesses, proving that local products are just as good as imported ones," said Dato' Sri Dr King Lim Chin Fui.

As a proponent of digitisation in Malaysia, FIVE also equips every petrol station with artificial intelligence and digitised facilities, such as vehicle plate recognition. WooMart, the physical convenience store at FIVE is another highlight worth noting. "We not only digitalize how the petrol retail business been done, we digitalize entire business from the cloud POS system, mobile loyalty platform and also enablement of digital payments technology which using AI,(facial and license plate recognization)- cashless payment, To bring this to whole Malaysia", said Dato' Sri Dr King Lim Chin Fui.

Dato' Hj.Juhari shared that FIVE is guided by a commitment to serve local residents. It hopes to build neighbourhoods with a strong sense of community, improve community service, and bring products and services that fulfil various needs.

"FIVE aims to give consumers a time-saving, safe and high-tech petrol refuelling experience, because we believe that the journey is more important than the destination. We hope that everyone who stops by a FIVE petrol station can enjoy a beautiful journey," said Dato' Hj.Juhari.

FIVE noticed that many small-scale petrol stations have been unable to acquire an operating license, or secure a stable supply of petrol. On top of that, many entrepreneurs who wish to apply for an operating license were held back by its daunting application process.

"FIVE wishes to change society's perception of the petrol retail industry. We have charted a brand new roadmap for interested entrepreneurs, paving an easier path by lowering the requirements for operating a petrol station," said Dato' Sri Dr King Lim Chin Fui.

FIVE will offer a faster and easier path for interested entrepreneurs. By lowering the requirements, more people will be able to join the petrol retail industry, ultimately benefitting consumers. "Lately, we have received many inquiries from those interested in setting up station. We will do everything we can to help these parties, and bring the best products and services to consumers," said Dato' Sri Dr King Lim Chin Fui.

Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi agrees that FIVE can reduce the gap between urban and rural areas, bringing shared prosperity to all citizens.

The brand launch also saw the presence of Dato' Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi as VIP for the opening ceremony. He congratulated FIVE for making its launch, and shared that FIVE will bring new energy into the local petrol retail industry, offering a new option to consumers.

"FIVE is a completely local brand. Its purpose is in line with the government's call to purchase local products. This limits the flow of the ringgit outside of Malaysia, and stimulates internal demand," said Dato' Sri Alexander. "The founding of FIVE can also even out the distribution of petrol stations in rural and urban areas, and bring fuelling convenience to rural residents."

Dato' Sri Alexander praised the one-stop service concept at FIVE, commending its convenient services that fulfil not just the need for petrol, but for daily necessities too.

Dato' Sri Alexander also thanked the nation's frontline workers at the ceremony, including medical professionals and law enforcement. He added that the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) has also been working hard to ensure the stable supply of masks and hand sanitisers in the country, so people can access them at a fair price.

"Despite the pandemic, the enforcement team at KPDNHEP are still inspecting supermarkets, shops and convenient stores to ensure sufficient supply and fair product prices. These people are also frontline workers of the country, we should be grateful for their contribution."

Following this, FIVE will go fully into operation. The company plans to set up 200 FIVE petrol stations in the country within 3 years, bringing shared prosperity to people of all races, in all locations. The goal is to move towards Industrial Revolution 4.0 together as a nation, and bring fresh prospects for the local petrol retail industry.