TF Value-Mart bets over US$4.78M on wholesale arm for F&B operators

What's the deal? TF Value-Mart has launched TF Borong, a wholesale and foodservice business targeting food and beverage operators and small and medium-sized enterprises in Malaysia. The homegrown supermarket chain is investing more than US$4.78M, opening its first two outlets at its Batu Caves and Taman Connaught stores on October 29.

What's on offer? TF Borong stocks more than 2,000 foodservice products, from pantry staples and fresh goods to premium ingredients such as Angus and Wagyu beef, lobster, and snow crab, subject to availability. Each outlet provides specialist butchers who cut meat to a business's specifications.

What's the endgame? The company aims to expand the service to 20 existing stores by the end of 2027. New locations will be chosen based on existing customer bases and purchasing patterns at TF Value-Mart stores.

Bulk pricing is designed to help operators control operating costs, while an exclusive business membership programme — accessible via WhatsApp — adds fast ordering and personal shopping support.

Why it matters? Chief executive officer Ho Mun Hao said operators across the industry, "from hawkers to hotel kitchens," need suppliers that understand their businesses. He described the foodservice sector as among the economy's more resilient segments.

The signal: The move pushes a consumer retailer into business-to-business supply, pitching its store network and purchasing scale at restaurants, cafés, and hawkers. It lands in a sizeable market — GlobalDataDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → estimates Malaysia's foodservice sector generated US$24.1B in 2024 — but the staged rollout, guided by existing bulk-buying data, makes this a test of demand rather than proof of a shift in the wholesale market.

Read more: utusan.com.my

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