Eu Yan Sang Set To Expand And Tap Halal Market In Malaysia

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah SINGAPORE, May 17 (Bernama) -- Eu Yan Sang International Ltd (EYSI) is set to open more stores and tap the potential of the halal market in Malaysia. EYSI is a global healthcare and wellness company with a strong foundation in traditional Chinese medicine. It manufactures and retails traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and herbs in Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and Singapore. It also operates clinic services in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Group chief executive officer, Richard Eu said the company now had 89 outlets in Malaysia. "By next year or so, we should exceed 100 outlets. We are looking at the northern states like Perlis as well as Kelantan and Terengganu on the east coast for this," he told Bernama in an interview. In terms of the market, Eu said EYSI products are most saleable among the Chinese population. "Our challenge in Malaysia is really to find something that appeals to the rest of the population," he added. He said EYSI would be looking into the possibility of securing halal certification for more of its products in future, as it is tries to reach out to Malay consumers in particular. Several of EYSI products such as the essence of chicken, are already halal certified. Eu Yang Sang was started by, Eu Kong, who left China in the 1870's and brought with him the concept of TCM to Gopeng, a tin mining town in Perak. He opened the first Eu Yan Sang TCM store, then known as 'Yan Sang'. About 133 years later, Eu Yan Sang has grown to 212 retail outlets and 25 TCM clinics in five countries in the Asia Pacific. It has also expanded into the Natural Wellness industry with an offering of selected natural wellness products at Eu Yan Sang retail outlets, collaboration with other lifestyle and wellness businesses, including Nestle and Shangri-La Group, and the latest acquisition of the Healthy Life Group in Australia. EYSI markets quality Chinese herbs, Chinese Proprietary Medicines (CPM), as well as health foods and supplements, offering more than 900 products under the Eu Yan Sang brand name and sub-brands. It also markets over 1,000 different types of Chinese herbs and other medicinal products. Eu noted that one of the best selling products is the birds nest. "Some products like boosters are sold purely in loose form as dry herbs. "We are in the process of converting it into a more modern dosage form. We are also looking at new products," he said. He also said EYSI products were basically for the maintenance of good health. "It is a simple case of preventing yourself from falling sick and having to visit the doctor," he added. Eu also said that EYSI was looking forward to setting up a biodiversity park in Malaysia. "I think what we want to do is find a sustainable and natural approach to the country's biodiversity. "The problem with traditional medicine is that people usually go into the jungle and start taking the medicinal plants. "We hope we can just extract and not cut the plants used for our products. We also hope to improve the livelihood of the people in the surrounding areas," he added. On the outlook for the industry, he said it was growing rapidly. "It is referred to as the wellness cluster and we are playing a complimentary role in the billion dollar market. We want to cover both natural wellness and curative," Eu added. EYSI recently opened the doors to its 16th retail outlet in Foshan, China. The outlet also offers customers an unique glimpse into the company's history with an interactive retail-museum concept. The launch of the store marks the continued expansion of EYSI into China. The Foshan store brings the total number of Eu Yan Sang retail outlets in mainland China to 16. The Group has experienced strong growth in Greater China (including Hong Kong and Macau) in recent years. Recently, it became the first foreign listed TCM company to receive a retail pharmacy licence, to dispense both prescription drugs and Chinese herbal medicine in China. The first Eu Yan Sang pharmacy will open in Dongguan, China, later this year. -- BERNAMA