The ACNielsen study found that Taiwan, Thailand, Korea and China were leading the development of hypermarkets, and although the pace of store openings had slowed in Thailand, nearly 60 per cent of urban Thai shoppers now used hypermarkets as the main store for purchasing groceries. Supermarkets, as a result, were facing weakening demand although the frequency of shopping among consumers was up from three to four times a week, said the report.
According to Peter Gale, director at ACNielsen Asia-Pacific, large stores are now the main retail channel for at least 40 per cent of urban grocery shoppers in Malaysia and Korea. "In both markets, there has been a lot of activity from leading retailers in terms of store development. Korea has seen investment from a number of international players - Tesco has increased its store numbers from 21 to 28 (in 2003) and Carrefour also increased store numbers, as did local players like Emart in Korea."
However, the report noted that Taiwan, which led the hypermarket evolution in Asia in the 1980s with its first Carrefour store, had seen sales at such outlets drop slightly, with store numbers also declining from 110 to 98 last year. The market, however, saw a jump in pharmacies, convenience stores and personal care stores.
Meanwhile, in Malaysia, the growth of hypermarkets has come under pressure from legislation, with the Government announcing plans for new zoning regulations that would restrict new store openings. "In common with most regions around the world, we are seeing continued development of multiple store formats, with the number of hypermarkets, convenience sores and personal care stores increasing significantly in the most markets," said Gale.
