1 phoonhuat – Phoon Huat

Phoon Huat goes digital: Taking a beloved Singapore brand into the future

BRANDED CONTENT | Published 22 Nov 2021 | The Straits Times

Phoon Huat chief financial officer Mr Lee Tjen Chew says digital transformation for SMEs is best done in “bite-sized pieces” and developed iteratively to be less disruptive. PHOTO: KOH MINGGUANG

Making changes in “bite-sized pieces” – the company’s CFO shares recipe to the food product supplier’s digital transformation

Phoon Huat is no stranger to Singaporeans, particularly during the baking frenzy that gripped the island last year during the circuit breaker. Behind its 20-and-counting brick-and-mortar outlets, however, is a team that’s committed to digital transformation – one initiative at a time. 

“Our objective is to integrate digital tools into all areas of business operations, while concurrently improving digital literacy across the company,” says Phoon Huat’s chief financial officer (CFO) Mr Lee Tjen Chew, 45, of the company’s digital transformation strategy.

Mr Lee, who is currently double-hatting as the company’s chief information officer, shares: “I don’t think we had doubts about going digital. But we had doubts about whether we were capable enough, and how we would go about doing that. If you asked me whether we had the necessary skill sets back then, I would have said ‘no’. This was something we actively worked to build.”

And build they did – together with a task force of employees who saw to the implementation of various digital initiatives, including a handheld mobile scanning system developed to replace the pen-and-paper processes previously used in the warehouse. 

Project manager Nicholas Yeo, 32, recounts how he took pains to speak with warehouse employees about adopting the scanning system. He recalls: “They kept arguing, saying ‘I have been doing it with a pen and paper and it is fast and accurate’. So I told them, ‘Why don’t we have a competition? You do it your way, and I do it mine, and we see who can complete the task quicker.’”

Needless to say, Mr Yeo won – not only the challenge, but also the hearts and minds of the workers that day. “People don’t want to listen to your theories; they just want to see results,” he says. “We try to be accepting of every worker, to hear them out. And when it comes to new systems, we will give them time to learn.”

One of the people in CFO Mr Lee Tjen Chew’s transformation task force is project manager Mr Nicholas Yeo, who had to convince warehouse staff to adopt a new digital scanning system to replace pen-and-paper processes. PHOTO: KOH MINGGUANG

As for results, any lingering doubts about how far Phoon Huat has come in terms of digital transformation were squashed during the circuit breaker last year. Key digital capabilities that were deployed over the years, including support for VPN connectivity, IP telephony, and laptops for employees, enabled the company to quickly pivot backend operations to work from home without trouble.

Stepping boldly into the future

While the firm had first dabbled in the online world in 2018, it only launched a full-fledged e-commerce store under the RedManShop.com brand in 2020. Since then, its digital transformation efforts have picked up in scale and complexity, ranging from modernising its warehouse to developing mobile apps to empower its sales force, and the automation of routine administrative tasks across the organisation. Mr Lee maintains that digital transformation is an attainable goal for all SMEs, provided they keep an open mind and are willing to take the first step. 

One key step Phoon Huat took in its quest to transform was to participate in the Singapore Business Federation’s Industry 4.0 Human Capital Initiative (IHCI) programme, which aims to equip companies with people management and job redesign skills required for successful Industry 4.0 transformation.

Phoon Huat continues to look at ways to automate and digitalise for optimal production. This includes the use of automatic bottling (above) and packaging machines. PHOTO: KOH MINGGUANG

The programme provided Phoon Huat with a low-risk environment and expert advice from McKinsey & Company, and afforded the company the opportunity to review business processes and production issues, so it could map out its processes and introduce new best practices.

The IHCI programme helped identify problems such as machine maintenance and availability, which were cutting into valuable production time. After minor changes were implemented, the company’s overall production rose by 12 per cent.

Programmes such as IHCI are part of JTC’s Industry Connect initiative, launched last year to help businesses across its estates grow through technology adoption, while enhancing talent development and environmental sustainability. With over 14,000 customers, JTC can effectively promote business transformation to these companies by connecting them to solutions providers, trade associations, and government agencies.

Never stop learning and improving

External expertise aside, Mr Lee’s belief in lifelong learning means he actively encourages employees to explore new business ideas or acquire new skills for themselves. Mr Lee, who constantly seeks self-improvement through books and Youtube tutorials, encourages staff to attend industry events or webinars – even during office hours – and gives them the leeway to implement new ideas.

Business analyst Lee Yi Sam, 31, attended an event in 2019, organised by the Singapore Computer Society, where speakers shared how they tracked global sentiments through online news channels and social media. 

He shares: “If there’s an upcoming new trend that is going viral on TikTok or another social media platform, it would be useful if we spot it early. Because once people want a particular item and demand surges, it means the stocks in individual stores will run out quickly. Knowing early can greatly benefit our inventory management and material resource planning.”

Senior software engineer Ilmi Wahab, 31, also benefited from the company’s culture of continual learning. He worked on Phoon Huat’s e-commerce website to build new applications for the SAP backend, despite not having experience with such systems before joining the firm. He also built an e-commerce packing module that substantially improved day-to-day operations. 

Digital transformation is not a singular project you can complete but is a process of continuous refinement. There will always be things that you need to improve.

MR LEE TJEN CHEW, Chief financial officer, Phoon Huat

Mr Ilmi credits his successes to the “very patient and trusting” environment at Phoon Huat. He says: “Phoon Huat has given me a chance to take on a bigger role, encouraging and allowing me to test new applications in a sandbox environment before deploying them on the production server.”

Kickstarting a cycle of improvement

With all that said, digital transformation does not happen overnight. For SMEs mulling over jumping straight into the deep end, CFO Mr Lee cautions that digital transformation and digital literacy efforts should be done in small steps. Changing everything at one go can be highly disruptive, and he advises businesses to make changes in “bite-sized pieces”.

“We would often start with one feature and roll it out. Our users or the management would come back with additional feature requests, which we will then implement. Because it’s developed iteratively, a bit at a time, it is not overwhelming and far more digestible.”

And while it might appear to start out slow, Phoon Huat’s experience shows that the pace of improvement does gather momentum over time. And while resistance is expected from certain quarters, there are also employees who step forward with ideas and suggestions.

Mr Ilmi shares: “When I first joined, requests for new features were few and far between, as they were outsourced and that took a long time. With the ability to make changes in-house, employees are now more vocal about the things they want to change. I am happy when they come forward with ideas. They are now empowered to suggest changes and improve their workflows.”

Since having the ability to implement technical changes in-house, senior software engineer Mr Ilmi Wahab says colleagues are now more “empowered to suggest changes and improve their workflows”. PHOTO: KOH MINGGUANG

On the digital transformation journey at Phoon Huat, CFO Mr Lee says: “Digital transformation is not a singular project you can complete but is a process of continuous refinement. There will always be things that you need to improve. The pace of digital transformation is picking up, and the pace is much, much faster today than it used to be.

“I think you will always have feedback for improvements if you are willing to listen. Moreover, the business will continue to evolve and grow, potentially into new areas. The technology will continue to advance, too, which means that some processes might need to change, and new technology adopted.”

Link to Article: https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/digital-food-supplier-made-in-singapore-phoon-huat-jtc-industry-connect

Singapore’s Phoon Huat ups its eCommerce gameplay

3 Aug | Future CFO Editor

In 2018 brick and mortar retailer Phoon Huat opened its doors to the online world. Eventually, the company solidified its commitment to online commerce with the launch of RedManShop.com in early 2020 in a bid to make baking supplies more accessible to customers during the lockdown.

At the time, the existing platform provided mostly basic functionality for e-commerce like creating accounts and making orders.

Lee Shing Lam, Head of eCommerce at Phoon Huat, noted that customers commented that the search function and the limitation in merchandising functions made it very difficult for them to find products that they want.

The challenge(s)

Lee noted that one challenge was how to manage the product range the company was carrying online.

“This led us to look for a scalable and sustainable platform to support its expansion. At the same time, we also sought to improve the services and customer experience on its online store,” he added.

With MuleSoft integrating with Phoon Huat’s core ERP solution – SAP, it allows products and product information to flow seamlessly into Salesforce Commerce Cloud. The process empowers its employees to integrate data and innovate at scale.

“It allows us a high degree of freedom to perform merchandising through sorting rule, search refinement and categorisation. In addition, we utilised Search Dictionary and Bucket Values to maximise the searchability of our products,” added Lee.

A better way to engage customers

To maintain customer trust and satisfaction, Phoon Huat selected Salesforce Service Cloud to help its customer service team with a new, digitised omnichannel approach to engage with its customers as it expands the business across the SEA region.

Phoon Huat used MuleSoft to create a seamless experience across its eCommerce platform. With MuleSoft, Phoon Huat can easily integrate and unify data across its entire eCommerce experience, including RedManShop customers, while empowering its employees to integrate data and innovate at scale.

Phoon Huat CEO Shuichi Sato reiterated the company’s commitment to delivering a better online shopping experience for its customers. In addition to investing in a new software platform, the company has expanded its digital transformation team, improved warehouse layout and procedures, and invested in its logistics fleet.

For Phoon Huat these enhancements include:

  • A search engine that allows customers to search for products faster & easier
  • Mobile-friendly user interface
  • Personalised shopping experiences, enabled with machine learning capabilities
  • Delivery tracking through email and order status updates via the website.

Cecily Ng, AVP and GM of Salesforce Singapore, says companies like Phoon Huat are using the pandemic as an opportunity to reinvent themselves and capture more customers.

Link to Article: https://futurecio.tech/singapores-phoon-huat-ups-its-ecommerce-gameplay/

How the Red Man heeded the green light to dish out better CX

27 July | DigiconAsia Editors

With many locked-down families turning to bakery, this traditional bricks-and-mortar firm jumped to the Cloud to ensure supply lines remained intact.

How does a regional supplier and retailer of cookery supplies weather a global pandemic when its bricks-and-mortar sales have been its main mode of business?

The well-known answer is of course: digital transformation. This is what Phoon Huat, a baking ingredients and equipment supplier in South-east Asia, did in early 2020.

Amid the pandemic, the firm accelerated the launch of its online shop in order to allow customers to continue to access baking and cookery supplies during the numerous stages of lockdown.

With an offering of more than 7,500 products ranging from bakery supplies to international gourmet brands, the firm pivoted to e-commerce with an aim to differentiate itself with affordable pricing and its own exclusive house brand RedMan. Its earlier website, built in 2018, was not geared for the scale of the pivot, so some digital transformation was in order.

Selling in the Cloud

Recognizing the need for a scalable and sustainable platform to support its pivoting and expansion, the firm chose to work with Salesforce to relaunch its RedManShop e-commerce website.

By doing so, the firm has empowered its employees to deliver an end-to-end digital customer journey across sales and customer support. Cookery enthusiasts of all levels of skill can now expect a one-stop solution for not only merchandise, but also a menu of related content such as recipes, training courses and an improved shopping experience that includes:

  • A search engine that to scour the large product range and content faster and easier
  • A mobile friendly user interface
  • Personalized shopping experience powered by machine learning
  • Item delivery tracking through email and order-status updates via the website

With a wider outreach due to its enhanced e-commerce presence in the region, the firm also used Salesforce to create a digital omni-channel approach to boost customer engagement. To improve data connectivity across its disparate branch offices and applications, MuleSoft was engaged to create a seamless experience across its e-commerce platform and empowering employees to integrate data and innovate at scale.

Said Shuichi Sato, CEO, Phoon Huat Pte Ltd: “We are committed to delivering a better online shopping experience for our customers. Besides investing in a new software platform, we have also expanded our digital transformation team, improved our warehouse layout and procedures, and invested in our logistics fleet.”

Cecily Ng, AVP and GM, Salesforce Singapore, said: “The pandemic has presented businesses such as Phoon Huat with the opportunity to reinvent themselves and capture more customers — a great example of technology’s transformational power, beyond helping businesses to cope with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Link to Article: https://digiconasia.net/news/how-the-red-man-heeded-the-green-light-to-dish-out-better-cx

Phoon Huat wants to fill the digital vacancy by training employees

ZaoBao | 9 Jul 2021

Bakery speciality Phoon Huat is striving to undergo digital transformation. The company will assess the skills of employees, gradually encourage them to receive appropriate training, strengthen their capabilities, and meet the needs of the company.

At the forum yesterday, Ms Gan discussed how to promote skills training with industry representatives such as Microsoft, Grab, and Phoon Huat.

Among them, James Wong, executive director of Phoon Huat, said that the pandemic has promoted the company’s acceleration of digitalization. The company is exploring how to fill the vacancies in the digitalization process by training the skills of employees, such as talents who are familiar with the company’s products and online marketing.

He believes that it is important to encourage older employees to receive training and communicate with them. It is necessary to understand the views of older employees so that they can embrace the training with a positive attitude and be willing to participate.

As for whether the employer is worried about employees leaving after training, James Wong said: “Although there will be concerns, we cannot be affected by these concerns and provide no training for our staff.  Training can increase productivity and allow them to do more, and the company should also give rewards and promotion opportunities.  When employees see opportunities to receive training and have a clear career plan, I believe they will be more inclined to stay with the company.”

Link to Article: Original Text in Mandarin

Phoon Huat and Le Petit Depot form a strategic partnership

7 June 2021, Singapore

Offering more varieties via online & more quality European food products to customers

7 June 2021 — Phoon Huat Group Pte. Ltd. and Le Petit Depot Pte. Ltd., Singapore’s leading online retail platform specialized in the sale of European food products, are proud to announce the formation of a strategic partnership.

Driven by their passion for quality food and cooking & baking products, Phoon Huat and Le Petit Depot join forces to offer a better value proposition to their customers. This alliance will enable both businesses to leverage on each other’s strengths to grow their online businesses and to extend product range in the retail stores under Phoon Huat.

Looking forward to doubling both business’ sales volume in three years’ time, this strategic alliance enables Phoon Huat to enrich its current product range to include the slew of European products for their customers in the F&B industry, their 19 retail stores and online shopping website. Le Petit Depot will be able to leverage on Phoon Huat’s specialty products and global sourcing to offer their online customers baking ingredients and tools, more products from different parts of the world.

More importantly, both companies are working towards achieving fulfillment excellence through the reduction of supply chain costs, from importation logistics to the last-mile delivery. IT infrastructure optimization is another advantage for the two businesses. To achieve efficiency is critical especially in the current environment where all costs are on an increasing trend.

Sato Shuichi, CEO of Phoon Huat, said: “With the outstanding e-commerce and technology platform of Le Petit Depot and Phoon Huat’s strong foundation as a leading food products supplier, we will be in a unique position to capture strong growth in the market and better our service to our customers in F&B industry and baking enthusiasts.”

Yannick Guédon, Co-Founder of Le Petit Depot, said: “Le Petit Depot has developed a strong expertise as an online retailer of European products, and we are very excited that our products can reach a larger population through Phoon Huat’s complementary sales channels.

Having access to the large and competitive product offering built by Phoon Huat over the years will also enable Le Petit Depot to propose an unmatched product range for home cooking & baking.”

Frederic Douvillé, Co-Founder of Le Petit Depot, said: “Our vision since 2012 has always been to help make the life of our customers a little better and easier; we are proud and happy, as a young pure online player, to join our passion to the experience of Phoon Huat, who has been delighting customers since 1947.

This strategic alliance will help us to be even more dedicated to offering the best to our customers, by improving our overall logistics efficiency and service quality. We are more impatient than ever to continue bringing the best to our beloved customers!”

– END –

Link to Press Release: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-Jun-7-Press-release-Phoon-Huat-x-Le-Petit-Depot-Strategic-Partnership.pdf

Phoon Huat buys majority stake in French foods retailer (updated)

Business Times | 8 Jun 2021 | Lynette Tan

BAKING supplies retailer Phoon Huat has acquired a majority stake in Le Petit Depot, a Singapore-based online retailer that specialises in French food products.

Phoon Huat now holds 91.5 per cent interest – made up of ordinary and preference shares – in Le Petit Depot, according to corporate records. The remaining shares are held by Le Petit Depot’s founders, Frenchmen Yannick Guédon and Frédéric Douvillé, and a holding firm, Oper8.

However, Phoon Huat told The Business Times (BT) that the preference shares will be considered “quasi debt”, so its stake in Le Petit Depot is essentially 70 per cent.

“The idea is not to give the money to the founders, but to put it into growing the company,” said Phoon Huat chief executive Shuichi Sato. He added that Le Petit Depot’s management will stay unchanged, and that its founders remain “meaningful shareholders in the business”.

Le Petit Depot has paid-up capital totalling S$3.5 million, the records show. The company was started in 2012 and now retails more than 8,000 products, from meats to wine.

In a joint statement on Monday, both businesses said the deal will allow them to “leverage each other’s strengths to grow their online businesses and extend the product range in retail stores under Phoon Huat”. This is as Phoon Huat and Le Petit Depot aim to double their sales volumes in three years.

Both companies will also work on reducing supply chain costs and optimising IT infrastructure. “To achieve efficiency is critical especially in the current environment where all costs are on an increasing trend,” they said.

For instance, a “significant” portion of Phoon Huat’s goods come from France, Mr Sato noted. Consolidating logistics with Le Petit Depot will therefore lead to greater economies of scale.

Phoon Huat hit S$100 million in revenue last year, propped up by a home-baking frenzy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

But the company had little idea how the year would turn out, as the pandemic situation was fluid, Mr Sato told BT in February.

“It was difficult to have any expectation or prediction (during this period). We worked to handle the changing needs of our customers that were affected by the evolving Covid-19 situation,” he had said.

Phoon Huat currently has 19 retail stores in Singapore and an online shopping site.

Link to article (for BT Subscribers): https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sme/phoon-huat-buys-majority-stake-in-french-foods-retailer

Phoon Huat to open more stores this year; on the lookout for deals

Business Times | 8 Jun 2021 | Lynette Tan

PHOON Huat plans to open three more stores in Singapore this year, taking the tally to 22 stores, from 19 currently.

It is also on the lookout for opportunities to acquire, said Shuichi Sato, chief executive of the home-grown baking supplies retailer, in an interview with The Business Times on the back of Phoon Huat’s acquisition of a majority stake in French goods retailer Le Petit Depot.

But Mr Sato added that Phoon Huat remains a “small and humble” company: “We do not jump into big, fancy deals.”

“Regarding Le Petit Depot, it is a humble and stable, yet ambitious, company with whom we share chemistry,” he said.

Phoon Huat also intends to remain a speciality retailer. “We specialise in baking products, just like how Le Petit Depot specialises in French products. We will not try to become a big supermarket,” Mr Sato said.

The company has plans to expand overseas as well. This year, Phoon Huat resumed talks with potential partners about expanding into South-east Asian countries. The discussions had been put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, discussions are taking more time than expected, due to travel restrictions and some of the potential partners being focused on navigating the Covid-19 situation, Mr Sato said.

Overall, Phoon Huat is on track to hit US$100 million in revenue for its current financial year ending June. It crossed S$100 million in revenue in 2017.

Corporate records show Phoon Huat Pte Ltd has S$87.1 million in paid-up capital.

The 74-year-old company has come a long way since its beginnings as a shop along Middle Road by Hainanese entrepreneur Wong Tai Fuang. Its website states that the founder made deliveries himself on his bicycle in the early days.

Phoon Huat started out as a wholesale supplier of baking ingredients, but has also grown into a retail chain over the years.

In 2002, it started retailing in supermarkets, invited by NTUC FairPrice, according to its website. That year, the company also set up its headquarters at Pandan Loop.

Phoon Huat’s success later caught the attention of Standard Chartered Private Equity, which took a “significant stake” in the company in 2016, reportedly for US$112 million to US$150 million. Then, Phoon Huat had about a dozen retail outlets in Singapore.

Wong Chen Liong, a descendant of the founder and the then-managing director of Phoon Huat, had welcomed the investment, saying it boded well for the firm’s succession planning which had been in the works for the last five years.

Standard Chartered’s private equity unit has since been wound up.

Members of the Wong family that are involved in the business include James Wong, the founder’s grandson and an executive director at Phoon Huat, and Jean Wong, a business development director at the firm.

Mr Sato, who has worked at commodities firms Wilmar and Bunge, joined Phoon Huat in 2018 as chief executive.

Link to Article (for BT subscribers): https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sme/phoon-huat-to-open-more-stores-this-year-on-the-lookout-for-deals

Phoon Huat buys majority stake in French foods retailer

Business Times | 8 Jun 2021 | Lynette Tan

BAKING suppliers retailer Phoon Huat has acquired a majority stake in Le Petit Depot, a Singapore-based online retailer that specialises in French food products.

Phoon Huat now holds 91.5 per cent interest in Le Petit Deport, according to corporate records The remaining shares are help by Le Petit Depot’s founders, Frenchmen Yannick Guédon and Frédéric Douvillé and a holding firm, Oper8. Phoon Huat declined to comment on details of the deal.

Let Petit Depot has paid-up capital totalling S$3.5 million, the records show. The company was started in 2021 and now retails more than 8,000 products, from meats to wine.

In a join statement on Monday, both businesses said the deal will allow them to “leverage each other’s strengths to grow their online businesses and extend the product range in retail stores under Phoon Huat”. This is as Phoon Huat and Le Petit Depot aim to double their sales volumes in three years.

Both companies will also work on reducing supply chain costs and optimising IT infrastructure. “To achieve efficiency is critical especially in the current environment where al costs are on an increasing trend,” they said.

Added Phoon Huat chief executive Shuichi Sato: “With the outstanding e-commerce and technology of Le Petit Depot and Phoon Huat’s strong foundation as a leading food products supplier, we will be in a unique position to capture strong growth in the market and better our service to our customers in the F&B (food and beverage) industry and baking enthusiasts.”

Phoon Huat hit S$100 million in revenue last year, popped up by a home-baking frenzy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

But the company had little idea how the year would turn out, as the pandemic situation was fluid, Mr Sato told The Business Times in February.

“It was difficult to have any expectation or prediction (during this period). We worked to handle the changing needs of our customers that were affected by the evolving Covid-19 situation,” he had said.

Phoon Huat currently has 19 retail stores in Singapore and an online shopping site.

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/BT-8-Jun-2021.jpg

Phoon Huat: Riding a pandemic-fuelled baking frenzy

Business Times | 11 Feb 2021 | Lelia Lai

“LOCKDOWN baking” took the world by storm in 2020, and Singapore was no exception. “Circuit bakers” snapped up ingredients such as flour, sugar and vanilla from grocery stores and Phoon Huat outlets.

Because the baking supplier normally transacts in the B2B space, Phoon Huat came up against a shortage of retail-sized products for its new customers – even though it had the ingredients on hand, and available from its direct suppliers in larger quantities.

“We tried our best to produce the retail packs at our factory. Our suppliers cooperated, converted their packing size and supplied those to us,” said chief executive Shuichi Sato. “When our customers returned to our shops after a few days, they managed to get the items in most instances.”

Some of the measures Phoon Huat implemented to ensure safety at its stores included shorter operating hours, no cross-deploying of staff, limited shopping time and queue management systems. In addition, it set up an online store and started offering online baking classes.

Phoon Huat successfully kept its doors open and achieved its target of about S$100 million in revenue in 2020, but Mr Sato said the company had little idea how the year would turn out, as the pandemic situation was fluid.

“It was difficult to have any expectation or prediction (during this period). We worked to handle the changing needs of our customers that were affected by the evolving Covid-19 situation.”

The pandemic gave Phoon Huat the push it needed to transform digitally. It is now seeking external support to further improve its digital capabilities.

Mr Sato said he hopes to continue working closely with the food-and-beverage firms that have been its long-time customers, while leveraging the economies of scale they provide to bring more competitively priced products to its retail customers.

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/210211-Business-Times-Phoon-Huat_Riding-a-pandemic-fuelled-baking-frenzy.pdf

Not-so-festive season for food manufacturers with supply crunch, missed opportunities, high costs

Business Times | 18 Jan 2021 | Lynette Tan; Additional reporting by Lelia Lai

ONGOING supply chain issues and unpredictable demand due to the coronavirus pandemic are making it hard for food manufacturers and suppliers in Singapore to do their usual roaring business during the peak festive seasons.

For some, the supply chain issues resulted in missed opportunities to capitalise on demand from locals un- able to travel over the holidays.

Seng Hua Hng Foodstuff, which produces nut snacks under the Camel brand, faced a shortage of some products as a result of delays in Its shipments of raw ingredients from various countries.

“There were incidences of port disruptions, large spikes in shipping costs from China, and also shipping delays due to suppliers unable to book shipping vessels,” said managing director Poh Ah Seng.

The company’s Christmas sales were still similar to that of the year before, as it was able to sell more of other products in its range. However, “it also means that we could have done much better, if we had received our raw materials on time, as this year many of our fellow Singaporeans are here on our sunny island, feasting on all kinds of local food,” said Mr Poh.

Similarly, Zoe Anastasis Trading, which supplies dried goods, had to import a smaller range of products this year. Instead, the company brought in larger quantities of products which were “more suitable to the majority of our customers,” said partner Wong Ze Lin.

“Of course, not all customers were happy with the fewer options we had,” said Mr Wong.

Huber’s Butchery, on the other hand, had to close its Christmas orders early due to overwhelming demand. “It was so difficult to predict demand for Christmas in 2020 as we had never experienced this situation before,” said Andre Huber, executive director of Huber’s Butchery. “We did not know if customers would dine out more or throw home parties as this was also dependent on the ruling governing gathering size and alcohol curfew,” Mr Huber added.

With Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day now about a month away, supply disruptions also mean that some food manufacturers, like Seng Hua Hng, are incurring more costs as they ramp up production to make up for lost time.

These challenges appear to have prompted some food manufacturers to seek out more warehouse or cold storage spaces, to hold more stocks as a buffer.

Tan Boon Leong, executive director of capital markets for industrial at Knight Frank Singapore, said that the real estate consultancy has received “more supply chain-related enquiries” in recent months, especially from businesses covering the entire food production or distribution chain. The spaces are being used in a variety of ways, including as ingredient storage, central kitchens and distribution outlets.

However, warehouse space supply has been tight due to competing demand from the stockpiling of masks, sanitisers and essential food items, said Mr Tan, adding that rentals have been trending upwards by 10 to 15 per cent now since the start of last year.

Generally, food manufacturers and suppliers’ ability to stock up is also constrained by the shelf life of produce and sales performance, which is especially unpredictable during the pandemic.

As a purveyor of quality chilled meats, Huber’s Butchery will have to shoulder the higher freight costs to secure space on flights for meats with shorter shelf lives, said Mr Huber. Chilled chicken meat, for example, can only be kept for up to a week.

Shuichi Sato, CEO at Phoon Huat, added that shelf-life management costs need to be considered. The company operates a warehouse of over 200,000 sq ft with seven different temperate zones to control product quality.

In addition, products with short shelf lives need to sell fast enough so that the company can import “commercially feasible” volumes, Mr Sato said.

Some food manufacturers and suppliers are thus finding it more practical to diversify their sources of supply or give more lead time to their suppliers instead.

Annabella Patisserie, which specialises in making macarons, has what it calls a +1 strategy-keeping on hand alternative suppliers for the same or next best ingredient-after facing a shortage of key baking ingredients, like flour, before Christmas.

Meanwhile, Colden Bridge Foods Manufacturing, which specialises in processed meats, is providing its suppliers with a 12-month forecast of its orders. “This allows our suppliers to plan and prepare beforehand if there is a sudden need to procure more supplies,” the company said.

 For the end-consumer, Mr Poh quipped, the good news is that Seng Hua Hng’s nuts in the market now are all from the latest crop, and freshly roasted from the oven.

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/210118-Business-Times-Not-so-festive-season-for-food-manufacturers-with-supply-crunch-missed-opportunities-high-costs.pdf

Amid COVID-19 challenges, the rise of home baking helps Phoon Huat to whisk up expansion plans

Channel News Asia | 22 Jan 2021 | Tang See Kit

SINGAPORE: Baking, according to the chief executive of baking ingredients supplier Phoon Huat, is an activity that brings “peace and happiness to the home”.

“The aroma of cakes is the best flavor to make everybody at home smile,” said Mr Shuichi Sato.

The 55-year-old is speaking very much from personal experience.

He bakes at least once a month and counts florentines with generous servings of hazelnut and walnut as his best item. While mostly self-taught, Mr Sato had opportunities to perfect his hobby by learning from professional bakers at his previous jobs – some of which were bakeries that he supplied ingredients to.

But more than satisfying taste buds, he finds baking an enjoyable family affair and one that never fails to bring back warm memories of time spent in the kitchen with his mother.

“I enjoy baking a lot,” he told CNA during an interview earlier this week.

And more people have been discovering the joy in mixing flour, butter, sugar and eggs, and turning them into decadent desserts with their home ovens in a year upended by a pandemic.

Last year, Phoon Huat saw demand from retail customers go through the roof, particularly during the “circuit breaker” period where people were cooped up at home.

“Out of the blue, many people started baking. Thanks to YouTube videos and easy-to-use pre-mixes, the barrier to entry is getting lower,” said Mr Sato, who took up the top job at the baking ingredients supplier in 2018.

Noticing the trend, Phoon Huat started offering online classes as an alternative after its baking studios were shut during the circuit breaker. These have received “decent positive responses”, and the company intends to keep at it to whet the appetite for recipes and baking advice among home bakers.

It is also looking at opening two new stores this year.

This will come on top of the four stores it opened last year, namely in Bukit Panjang, Jurong East, Yishun and Pasir Ris, which took its total number of stores to 18 across Singapore.

Demand from seasoned and new home bakers was a bright spot for Phoon Huat amid a pandemic-fuelled downturn, noted Mr Sato, and the company saw the need to expand its retail business in response to the shift.

The trend still has potential, he added. “Now that people have experienced how they can bake and produce a decent product, and the time for baking … brings about more family bonding, I think this will last.”

“BOTTLENECKS EVERYWHERE”

But 2020 was not all smooth sailing for the 74-year-old company. In particular, the two-month circuit breaker from April to June last year was “very challenging” as it raced to keep its retail stores operating under COVID-19 rules and grappled with a big hit on its business-to-business (B2B) segment.

On the retail front, it rolled out safe-distancing measures, stopped cross-deployment of employees across retail outlets and shortened opening hours in a bid to balance safety and manpower constraints.

It also implemented a system of odd or even-numbered days in which people were let into the store depending on the last digit of their identity card numbers, among others to manage queues.

But this did not stop long lines from forming in front of its stores. Customers also became frustrated when they could not get hold of baking staples such as flour and eggs.

Mr Sato acknowledged that some of these fast-selling items ran out at its stores for a few days, but stressed that it had stocks given its diversified supply chain spanning 900 suppliers worldwide.

The problem was in packing these ingredients that came in large quantities, such as flour in 25kg bags and cream cheese in nearly 20kg blocks, into smaller sizes for retail customers due to the smaller workforce allowed at its factory and warehouse.

Its suppliers overseas also had problems keeping up with demand.

“This home-baking trend is global, not just in Singapore, so even our supplier in Australia is being challenged because packing materials were not available,” he said.

“We want to open the store but from logistics, warehouse, production to retail, it was all under constraint,” Mr Sato recalled. “Bottlenecks everywhere.”

Meanwhile, construction work stopped at its new stores. This meant a pushback in rolling up the shutters, with the opening of the Bukit Panjang store delayed by almost three months.

Its B2B arm, which supplies to more than 4,000 hotels, restaurants and cafes in Singapore and forms the bulk of its business, took an even bigger hit.

“Three of our top 10 customers were almost closed during the circuit breaker, (which means) our sales became zero. The goods that we prepared were challenged and to shift that to retail is not that easy, because who will buy 20kg of cream cheese?”

Order cancellations flowed in and Phoon Huat had to write off some of the goods with a short shelf life. It also faced some “very limited” delays in payments.

“We accommodated all the cancellations and we also kind of close one eye (sic) for the payments,” Mr Sato said.

Since then, the situation among its business customers seems to have improved. While those in the hospitality sector remain nowhere near their heydays, bakeries and cafes that operate in residential areas “are now back to normal”, he added.

Asked how Phoon Huat fared in annual revenue last year, the chief executive officer said it remains comparable to the S$100-million milestone set in 2017.

“You may say, we managed to survive. The drop from B2B has been recovered by retail,” said Mr Sato.

FUTURE PLANS

Moving forward, Phoon Huat plans to roll out a new online shopping platform around June.

Its e-commerce site was launched last March after two years of preparation, but there can be room for improvements such as being more user-friendly.

So far, online sales “have been growing” but it is “not significant yet”, said Mr Sato.

Asked about the company’s pricing strategy, he noted that Phoon Huat will “always try to be the most affordable” in necessities such as flour, milk and sugar.

“We also have our customer relationship management scheme called the RedMan Rewards where people can gain points. I’m almost sure that for most of the items available at supermarkets, we are the lowest in price.”

It can do so given how it makes bulk purchases to ensure supplies to its B2B customers. The company also tries to stay lean and minimise waste in costs.

But its expansion in the retail space will surely add on to cost. To that, Mr Sato said: “We try to fill the space where we don’t have a presence… A lot of our customers write in to say ‘Please open a shop here’ and we listen and follow our customers, so we are quite confident.”

Affordable rent is also top on its mind. Amid the pandemic, landlords have been more open to negotiations over rent, he added.

“Our business model cannot afford to pay high rent. We are selling S$1.80 flour so how much can we make? Our margin is very, very slim therefore we try to find affordable rent places.”

The household brand in Singapore is hoping to venture abroad. It “almost concluded” an acquisition in a neighbouring market last January but that had to be put on hold due to the pandemic.

“We just resumed discussion with some companies for our growth in neighbouring countries,” Mr Sato told CNA. This will include expanding its B2B segment and setting up brick-and-mortar stores overseas.

Asked if that could happen this year, the chief executive officer replied: “We will try.”

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/210122-CNA-Amid-COVID-19-challenges-the-rise-of-home-baking-helps-Phoon-Huat-to-whisk-up-expansion-plans.pdf

National Day-themed fund-raiser launched to support President’s Challenge

The Straits Times | Jul 15, 2020, 1:29 PM | Goh Yan Han

SINGAPORE – To support the President’s Challenge, a National Day-themed fund-raising campaign titled Share The Care was launched on Wednesday (July 15).

The Families For Life council is raising funds through the sale of specially curated desserts with a red-and-white theme, and an e-recipe booklet from Wednesday till Aug 15.

The e-recipe booklet contains contributions from President Halimah Yacob and local bakeries, as well as celebrity Fann Wong.

Madam Halimah said: “I am happy to contribute my own National Day agar-agar recipe to Share The Care to raise funds for President’s Challenge.

“The initiative is meaningful, especially with this year’s President’s Challenge’s focus on supporting and empowering persons with disabilities.”

The President’s Challenge is an annual event that mobilises resources to help the less fortunate. The event, in its 20th edition, will raise funds for 72 organisations this year.

Madam Halimah added: “May this spirit of giving continue to grow as we support one another on this journey towards a caring, inclusive and more resilient Singapore.”

To receive the e-recipe book, make a donation through the Families For Life’s Share The Care page on the Giving.sg fund-raising platform.

Families For Life chairman Ishak Ismail said he hopes that families will enjoy making the special desserts together and even share them with neighbours and friends.

He added: “While this year’s National Day will be unlike any other, let us stand united and celebrate together in meaningful ways, supporting the vulnerable in our community.”

This year’s National Day Parade and celebrations will focus on allowing Singaporeans to celebrate in their homes and in the heartland, instead of at a central location such as the floating platform at Marina Bay, because of the Covid-19 pandemic and safe distancing measures.

Non-governmental organisation Minds, which caters to those with intellectual disabilities, will be baking limited-edition red and white cookies, which members of the public can order through its website.

All proceeds from the sale of the cookies will be donated. Baking ingredients supplier Phoon Huat is sponsoring the baking ingredients.

Phoon Huat will also be selling special agar-agar kits, which include five pre-mix packs and a copy of Madam Halimah’s recipe, from July 20 at its 15 retail stores.

Each kit costs $10, and $4 will be donated to the President’s Challenge.

Another way to support the cause is to purchase red and white National Day-themed desserts from participating partners, such as Metta Cafe and bakeries Delcie’s, Divine Artisan, Pare, Kueh Ho Jiak and The Cookie Crumble.

As part of this campaign, POSB will also be donating up to $50,000 to the President’s Challenge between July 20 and Aug 31.

DBS Bank consumer banking group executive director Lim Bee Bee said: “National Day is a celebration of unity, solidarity and community spirit.

“While we may not be able to physically celebrate together this year, we can still unite to make a meaningful difference through our collective effort to help families and neighbors among us who have been harder-hit by Covid-19.”

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/200715-The-Straits-Times-National-Day-themed-fund-raiser-launched-to-support-Presidents-Challenge.pdf

Supplying the Great Singapore Bake Off

The Straits Time | Jun 14, 2020, 5:00 AM | Tan Hsueh Yun

From working around the clock to investing in a new machine – baking ingredients supplier Phoon Huat and flour miller Prima share challenges they faced to fuel home bakers during the circuit breaker period.

When all this is over, when life gets to whatever the new normal is going to be, people around the world might look back at how the coronavirus pandemic got them to wear masks as part of daily life, got them accustomed to working from home, got them elbow bumping instead of shaking hands.

And got them baking.

The world hunkered down to flatten the curve of infections. People stuck at home at a bewildering time sought – and continue to seek – comfort in combining flour, sugar, eggs and milk to make something delicious.

Follow a recipe and something golden brown and smelling wonderful will surely emerge from the oven. That ritual, in constant repeat mode everywhere, is a surefire win at a time when victories are hard to find.

Seasoned bakers upped the ante and tackled more challenging recipes. Newbies got in on the act. Social media continues to be flooded with pictures of muffins, cakes, bread and those Basque cheesecakes with the burnished tops.

In Singapore, the surge in demand for baking ingredients rivalled that for toilet paper and instant noodles. It was as if everybody had the same idea. Gotta bake.

The result of that groupthink? Supermarkets shelves were cleaned out of flour of every kind. Butter. Sugar. Yeast. Cream cheese.

Ingredients people had been taking for granted disappeared temporarily.

Two companies in Singapore – baking ingredients supplier Phoon Huat and flour miller Prima – faced a challenging time.

How they worked out the kinks to answer the loud demands from home bakers is a hard-won victory in the Covid-19 chronicles; case studies for how to be nimble in a crisis.

WRITE-OFFS AND COMPLAINTS

There was one point during the circuit breaker period when Phoon Huat was battered from all sides.

It supplies some 5,000 of about 7,000 hotels, restaurants, cafes, food-processing factories and central kitchens here; but many of its food service customers cancelled their orders, when eating places could no longer have dine-in customers.

Mr Shuichi Sato, its chief executive officer, tells The Sunday Times that Phoon Huat faces delays in payment and has been unable to contact some of its business customers, even.

He says there will have to be write-offs, because some of the ingredients it supplies are perishable, or have a short shelf life.

There were challenges on the retail front too.

The authorities complained that queues outside its retail stores stretched too long. The wait was, at times, two hours to get in.

Customers became frustrated when supplies dried up temporarily. They went to the company’s Facebook page to complain loud and long; about the shortages, about long queues, about the shorter opening hours, about online orders with items that were sold out and could not be delivered.

When, in a bid to manage queues, it implemented a system early last month in which people were let into the store on odd or even numbered days depending on the last digit of their identity card numbers, there was another uproar. Why was a non-government company collecting identity card information?

Frustrated customers took it out on the company’s staff. Some employees broke down in tears.

“Very drama,” says Mr Sato, adding that the company was just trying to manage queues and did not record the information.

It stopped this system on June 2, when Singapore emerged from circuit breaking to Phase One, and the clamour for ingredients eased.

He says that sales usually go up by 10 to 20 per cent during Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and Christmas. But when the circuit breaker began in earnest, the company started seeing spillover customers, who could not buy flour, pasta and yeast in supermarkets.

There was also a run on these products on its online store, which it launched in early March.

Mr Sato says: “We went from zero deliveries a day to a few hundred deliveries a day now.”

SHIFTS AROUND THE CLOCK

Similarly, Prima’s sales go up during Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and Christmas, by 20 to 40 per cent.

Mr Steven Yeo, general manager of Prima, says sales peaked last month, at 3.5 times more than a typical month last year. But it had been seeing a steady increase since March, when sales inched up to 1.5 times the average monthly figure last year.

The irony is that while home bakers were desperately seeking flour, there was plenty of it.

Both Prima and Phoon Huat say they had sufficient stock, but faced challenges packing it into retail-friendly sizes.

What home baker, even an avid one, would contemplate buying a 25kg sack of flour?

Mr Yeo says: “We had ample stock and wheat in our silos to meet the increased demand. Our diverse and secure sources of wheat from various continents ensure our constant supply.”

He adds that Prima, which was established in 1961, has been working with some of these suppliers for more than 50 years.

“We were working round the clock, with two staggered shifts,” he says. “Despite that, our flour was flying off the shelves faster than we could bag and pack them and retailers could replenish them.

“Retailers were asking for more stocks and we also received consumer inquiries on where to find our flour. We had sufficient stock of wheat and flour, but we had maxed out our capacity for household packs.”

So Prima invested in a new packing machine.

“The machine was sourced and installed in nine days,” he says. “From April 24, our production and engineering teams worked to get it up and running. They even worked over two weekends and public holidays.”

The new packing line started operating on May 3 and Prima was able to increase its packing capacity for household packs by 75 per cent.

This flour was delivered directly to stores, so customers could get their hands on it quickly.

PACKAGING AND LABOUR WOES

Phoon Huat too, found it challenging to package big quantities of flour, cream cheese, yeast and other ingredients into retail-friendly sizes.

Like other companies, it faced limits on how many workers could work at any one time. Overseas suppliers also had problems packing ingredients into smaller-sized retail packs because of the shortage of packing materials worldwide.

Mr Sato says: “We had stock, fortunately or unfortunately. That’s why we could keep supplying consumers. But we didn’t have enough packing capacity. We had tonnes of cream cheese; in 2kg, 14kg packs.

“Who would dare to buy 2kg of cream cheese? Our Australian cream cheese suppliers didn’t have packaging material for small packs. Our flour supplier in Italy had sleepless nights changing the packaging from 25kg to 1kg.”

During the circuit breaker period, Phoon Huat, a 73-year-old company with about 400 employees, saw its staff quota reduced to about 150.

There could only be 150 employees in total working in its factory, in logistics and in its retail shops. The company instructed support staff to work from home, and cut the operating hours for the retail shops.

Mr Sato says: “With the reduced manpower, our factory and logistics faced a crunch and stocks in the shops were compromised as retail packs were not produced fast enough. We appealed to the Ministry of Trade and Industry for an increase in staff quota and it was restored to slightly over 300.

“Then, we were able to engage external temporary staff, who were on no-pay leave from their jobs in other industries, for example the airline industry, to help out in our retail shops.”

Some production lines – for flour, premixes and packing – operated on three shifts, instead of one, for two to three weeks last month.

The online site, which started with just three staff, now has nine people to process orders.

Mr Sato, who has been on the job for two years, adds that there is stock now allocated to the e-commerce part of the business.

“Almost all orders can be fulfilled,” he assures.

BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD

In the midst of all this, the search for new sources of ingredients never ends for both companies.

Phoon Huat recently launched flour from Vietnam and Malaysia. It is in discussions to bring in a Japanese brand of flour. It now carries the premium Tomiz brand of baking ingredients, and there are plans to pack its flour in Singapore, to reduce the cost to consumers.

Later this year, it will open two more retail stores – in Bukit Panjang Plaza and Jurong East – to bring its total number of stores to 16 across the island.

The bulk of its business used to be supplying food businesses. Now, Mr Sato says, it is half business to business and half retail.

The viral baking craze took the company by surprise.

Mr Sato says: “Young or senior, male or female baking enthusiasts appeared. Baking has become a family bonding activity and also a favourite pastime at home, with the sharing of recipes via social media.”

Indeed, even as it grappled with customer complaints, the company’s Facebook page was a sea of serenity and positivity, with recipes and videos for making rainbow cookies, bubble tea and souffle pancakes.

To ride on the baking craze, Prima plans to share recipes using its products on its website. There are also plans to organise more baking contests and collaborations with household appliance brands, when it is safe to do so.

Mr Yeo adds: “Almost everyone was posting about baking adventures on social media. From butter and sugar buns to Hokkaido milk bread to sourdough bread, consumers were creating all types of bakes. Some even baked together with friends on Zoom. We are heartened that consumers have turned to baking and cooking during this period.”

Will The Great Singapore Bake Off continue?

Whatever happens when the world opens up again, bakers here can count on one thing. There will be enough flour. In 1kg packs.

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/200614-The-Straits-Times-Supplying-the-Great-Singapore-Bake-Off.pdf

Gig Economy: Encountering drama and queue experts in the line for baking supplies

The Straits Times | John Lui

SINGAPORE – You meet the most interesting people waiting in line for baking goods.

There is Ms Do You Hear The People Sing. Ejected after she was caught sneaking in line without a queue number, she delivers a two-minute speech audible to everyone in the line – and, I think, to people in the next building – about how our system had failed her and everyone in it. She exits, stage left.

Under social distancing rules, only ten persons are allowed in the store and another ten in the queue. The rest have to wait for a text message allowing them into the line. It is a decently long wait. People get upset. They cheat. They are ready to revolt.

After a short intermission, Ms Sing is back for part deux. In my head, she is Jean Valjean from Les Miserables: She wanted bread, but found injustice. She makes another rousing call to arms, but I guess no one feels like joining her at the barricades, so she leaves.

It has been extraordinarily busy at all RedMan and Phoon Huat baking product stores during the circuit breaker period. Stuck at home, visions of homemade rustic loaves and brioches danced in everyone’s heads. Mine included. Two weeks ago, I baked bread for the first time in a decade. And I absolutely did take and share pictures of it. I’m not a psychopath.

My heart sinks when Ms Sing appears a third time, here on a Saturday morning at the RedMan store at Heartbeat @ Bedok where I am helping to control traffic.

With theatrically deep regret, she informs me – and everyone within a 10m radius – to delete her name from the waitlist because she could no longer tolerate the mistreatment of honest citizens. I write her wish on a sheet of paper, using slightly larger arm movements so people in the back can see.

She finishes singing the song of angry men and leaves. For the last time, I hope. I am not sure I can take another rendition. Just my luck, Mr Zero Stars For You takes over. He has deliberately parked himself within earshot of me.

He is the Asian Parent of grumblers. He doesn’t shout. He is not angry, just disappointed. He quietly lists the areas where I have been found wanting as an employee and as a human being.

“Alamak. Look at that woman in there, taking her sweet time. No shopping list, just walking rooound and rooound,” he says, stretching the “round” in a singsong way that implies that she is lingering on purpose just to annoy him.

“You should chase her out. But you don’t want to. That’s your problem. Are you sure there are 10 people inside? I see eight. Did you check? Don’t you want to count?” he goes on.

I get an hour of this. He is my impostor syndrome given a voice. He is my anxiety internal monologue. Just before I reach the depths of despair, his number is called and he leaves to join the physical queue. Tonight I will dream of being called to the principal’s office.

Here at the RedMan store, there is a fairly simple queue system in place. Leave your mobile number, then wait for the text that tells you to join the line.

As luck would have it, Mr Zero Stars For You is only one of several queue-system scientists in line today. What are the odds that such a collection of experts would be in the same place at the same time?

They catch my eye and shake their heads and go tsk tsk, then tell me gravely that if their expertise had been sought before all this, there would be no waiting at all. Plus, world hunger will be abolished and all single persons will find true love.

The store opens at 10am but when I show up at 8.30am, staff are already there, tidying and restocking. Fresh stock arrives from the warehouse. There are cheeses and milk to be put away. And almonds.

Bakers, we need to talk about this almond business. I can handle sorting the packs by weight. But almonds come in blanched and unblanched, varied by whether they are whole, diced, sliced and, if I remember, subcategorised into unmassaged or massaged, then further sorted by Swedish, Shiatsu and Thai. Why? What unholy compendium of recipes are you using that is causing me to stare at a shelf for minutes wondering where a pack should go?

Anyway, I have to look the part of a RedMan employee and it fools some people. A customer shows me a sheet with “feuilletine” on it. I’m busy with almonds so I want to tell him, “sorry, she doesn’t work here any more,” but I think better of it so I ask my trainer for the day, the very patient and sweet Ms Lody Austria, the store supervisor.

As it turns out, feuilletine is a baking, er, thingy. Throughout the day, Ms Austria, an avid baker herself, as employees here tend to be, is not only a guide but also a dispenser of baking advice – yeast can be used past its expiration date if frozen, so no worries buying the bulk pack if you can’t get a small package. Milk with a few drops of lemon juice is a substitute for buttermilk, for example.

I head home just after lunch. I am happy for the experience because after working from home for the last three months, I miss being around people. Checking my smart watch’s health app, I see my resting heart rate has gone up, from its usual 70 beats per minute to 90.

Being around people is great, but being around Singaporeans in a queue? I like helping people, but I don’t think my heart can handle the drama.

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/200613-The-Straits-Times-Gig-Economy_-Encountering-drama-and-queue-experts-in-the-line-for-baking-supplies.pdf

Phoon Huat Shoppers Can Now Enter Everyday, Odd/Even Entry System Removed On 2 Jun

Must Share News | 3 Jun 2020, 11:16 am

Over the course of the ‘Circuit Breaker’, many Singaporeans have picked up baking as their new hobby to pass the time.

Yet, getting baking supplies during the period proved to be somewhat of a challenge, thanks to long queues and higher demand, among a myriad of other reasons.

Well, if you’re planning on baking yourself some delicious bread or pastries this weekend, you might be in for some good news.

As we enter Phase 1 of reopening, popular baking supplies store Phoon Huat announced via a Facebook post on Tuesday (2 Jun) that it will be doing away with its ddd/even dates requirement.

In the Facebook post, Phoon Huat said the decision to abolish the system was due to shorter queues and the “easing up” of the current situation.

Despite the removal, they urge customers to follow other safe distancing measures so their store remains safe for everyone.

These include shopping alone, keeping shopping time to under 10 minutes and scanning of SafeEntry QR code before entering their store premises.

All of its outlets are open from 10am-7pm. Check out the nearest store near you via the website here.

Introduced entry restriction based on last digit of NRIC/FIN Earlier last month, Phoon Huat – as well as its subsidiary, Redman – introduced the ddd/even dates entry system in early May that only allowed access to shoppers according to the last digit of their NRIC/FIN.

The measure was aimed at cutting down the long lines seen outside the stores.

The removal of the Odd/Even Dates entry restriction at Phoon Huat will certainly come as great news for Circuit Bakers who picked up baking during the 2-month ‘Circuit Breaker’.

That said, please adhere to the measures put in place by the store to help keep everyone safe

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/200603-MustShareNews-Phoon-Huat-Shoppers-Can-Now-Enter-Everyday-Odd_Even-Entry-System-Removed-On-2-Jun.pdf

Where has all the flour gone? Shops struggle to restock fast enough amid circuit breaker baking frenzy

The Straits Times | May 17, 2020, 5:00 AM | Eunice Quek

A handwritten piece of paper, stuck on a box outside baking supplies store Phoon Huat in Toa Payoh, states that ingredients such as baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder are out of stock.

The same ingredients are missing from many shelves in supermarkets and grocery stores across the island. Shops and retailers, however, insist there is sufficient stock.

The only problem: They cannot replenish shelves fast enough because of a baking frenzy brought on by the circuit breaker measures and Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which falls on May 24.

Meanwhile, at Phoon Huat in Toa Payoh, customers wait in line, getting their temperatures and identity cards checked before entering.

This is a typical scene at shops run by the Phoon Huat chain, which also owns the Redman by Phoon Huat outlets. As part of social distancing and contact tracing efforts, all 14 outlets have in place a queue management system and digital check-in system, SafeEntry.

The queue system requires an individual to give his or her mobile number to get a queue number via SMS stating the waiting time. Upon receiving a second SMS, customers can join a shorter queue to enter the shop.

But check the date before heading to a store. Entry is restricted by the last digit of one’s NRIC number. For instance, if it is an odd number, an individual will be allowed entry only on odd-numbered dates.

Since April 27, the stores have also had shorter daily operating hours of 10am to 7pm – regular operating hours vary across outlets – due to manpower constraints arising from split-team operations.

A Phoon Huat spokesman says: “We found the alternate visit dates effective for social distancing. The objective is to cut the number of customers by half.

Long queues at the Phoon Huat store in Toa Payoh on May 14. With more customers stocking up on baking supplies, the shop has run out of some ingredients.

“Our shops are small and with the limited (number of customers) allowed in each shop at any one time, we want to cut the queue and crowd (numbers) outside.”

Still, the measures have not stopped some of the stores’ baking ingredients from running out fast.

With more time on their hands, more people are turning to baking – from homemade bread to the trendy Basque burnt cheesecake – during the circuit breaker period.

Says the Phoon Huat spokesman: “We are unable to replenish stocks fast enough for retail customers. Whatever retail packs are produced daily are immediately sent to our shops twice a day.

“For basic baking ingredients like flour and sugar, the supply is enough. It is the retail packing process we are trying our best to increase capacity for.”

Phoon Huat’s production plant runs three daily shifts and it is looking to increase delivery slots with third-party logistics companies.

Supermarket chains are also racing to restock baking goods, for which there has been unprecedented demand.

At FairPrice outlets, sales of baking products “have increased about threefold” during the circuit breaker period compared with the same period last year, says a FairPrice spokesman. Sales have also jumped by 80 per cent in the weeks leading up to Hari Raya Aidilfitri, compared with the same period last year.

“This has resulted in periodic disruption for some of these products such as flour, baking soda and instant yeast,” adds the FairPrice spokesman. “We have ramped up supplies and are purchasing from a wider pool of suppliers to provide more alternatives.”

Since the tighter circuit breaker measures were announced on April 21, grocery store The Source Bulk Foods has been selling 25kg of flour daily – five times the usual amount – and seen more demand for vanilla pods.

Home bakers who are unable to get sufficient baking supplies have had to make do with ingredients they already have.

Housewife Patricia Tan, 52, who bakes for family and friends, looked in vain for Philadelphia cream cheese for weeks and was unable to fulfil an order for a birthday cake.

She says: “I did not want to use other brands because I cannot guarantee the quality.”

The avid baker of sourdough bread has been hunting for flour at different supermarkets and baking supplies stores, and has tried using flour from Vietnam which she bought at a FairPrice supermarket.

She says: “I don’t need yeast because I have a sourdough starter, but I can’t do without flour. And for bread, you usually need bread flour that has high protein content.”

Cream cheese, baking chocolate and chiffon cake tins were missing from Mrs Michelle Wong’s delivery from Phoon Huat’s Redman online shop last Friday.

Only seven of her 15 items arrived. She was informed via e-mail that the rest were out of stock and she would receive a refund.

The mother of two children, aged eight and 11, ordered online as she did not want to leave them at home to go to the supermarket, especially since she would likely have had to stay in the queue for a while.

She says: “I will just have to make do with whatever I have.”

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/200517-The-Straits-Times-Where-has-all-the-flour-gone.pdf

【2019冠状病毒】烘焙材料店购系统管控人流 阻断措施期间生意减半

Channel 8 News | 2020年5月10日 20:44 | 文: 萧歆怡

本地烘焙材料店为了更有效地管控店外排队人流,订购了电子排队管理系统,将店外排队人数限制在十人。其余顾客则须通过电子排队管理系统,用手机取号排队。尽管出现人龙,但公司表示在阻断措施期间,生意已下跌逾50%。

8视界新闻早前报道我国全岛不少烘焙材料店在阻断措施期间大排长龙,随后本地烘焙材料店奋发(Phoon Huat)以及其旗下Redman的所有分店实施身份证尾号单双日限制,即身份证号码为单数的公众只能在单数日前去购物,而身份证号码为双数者则只能在双数日前去购物。

奋发也在官网公布,各分店外的排队人数顶限为十人,而若分店外出现人群聚集,他们将得关闭店面。

奋发告诉8视界新闻记者,为进一步减少店外排队等候的人数,他们已投资订购了电子排队管理系统(Queue Management System),让顾客可以通过手机取号排队。在该系统下,获得电子排号的顾客将能按自己的序号收到短信提醒,告知他们何时可回到奋发的分店购物。

奋发自上个月30日开始就已在其马西岭分店使用这个管理系统,至今全岛已有六家奋发分店使用这项服务,接下来也将在更多分店推出这项服务。

分店外排队队伍短了 但仍超过十人

8视界新闻记者在周四(7日)早上11点半走访已开始使用电子排队管理系统的四美奋发分店时发现,该分店门外仍聚集着30至40个正在排队等待进入奋发购买烘焙材料的顾客。

对此,奋发业务发展总经理Tan Siew Shuen回应表示,工作人员会尽最大的努力快速帮助顾客取号,并鼓励顾客先去做其他的事情,收到短信后才回到店外加入少于十人的较短排队队伍。

尽管工作人员劝说顾客可先到他处办事,但不少已取号的顾客表示,周围也无处可去,还不如站在店外等候。

一名顾客说:“现在哪里都不可以坐,也不可以去喝咖啡,旁边的购物中心店也关门,我就站在这里等。”

还有顾客表示:“我住淡滨尼,来这里不远,不过也不可能回家再过来,就等咯。”

据8视界记者观察,顾客在工作人员的提醒下都有意识地保持安全距离,店外人虽多,但井然有序,未构成问题。

此外,奋发的四美分店除了有一条让顾客取号的队和一条让已收到短信通知回到店外等候进入的队以外,还有第三条队,让只需要购买二至四样产品的顾客可以尽快进入店里。

如此,只需要购买少量用品的顾客就可以快速地购买所需物品后离去,避免他们长时间在店外等候,一些顾客其实只需在奋发购买一般超市里买不到的材料。

斋戒期马来顾客多 但奋发销售额整体仍跌逾50%

奋发四美店外排队的民众多为附近居民或来自仅有一个地铁站之遥的淡滨尼。多数受访者皆表示,自阻断措施实施以来,第一次到烘焙材料店购物。而由于开斋节即将到来,排队民众中过半为要准备过节的马来族同胞。

一名马来族妇女表示,自己自阻断措施以来是第一次来到奋发,开斋节就要到了,自己必须做一些糕点给家人和亲戚,因此才必须来奋发排队。

尽管两周后就是开斋节,前往奋发购物的马来族同胞增多,但奋发奋发业务发展总经理Tan Siew Shuen却告诉8世界新闻记者:“我们还没看到开斋节对今年的销售有任何积极的影响。与去年的斋戒月相比,也没有看到任何积极的影响。”

Tan Siew Shuen也透露,由于餐饮业受创,奋发主要的餐饮行业客户需求下跌,奋发的销售量也随之下滑,在阻断措施期间已下跌逾50%。

四美分店附近的居民也表示,阻断措施期间前往奋发购物的人群其实并未明显增多。一名居民表示:“这个卖做蛋糕东西的店,平时一直人都很多的。只是以前全部挤在里面,现在不可以挤里面,全部在外面排队而已。”

一名奋发的常客也说:“阻断措施以前应该人更多,全部在里面,里面都没有地方走的。”

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/200510-Channel-8-News-【2019冠状病毒】烘焙材料店购系统管控人流-阻断措施期间生意减半.pdf

烘焙原料热卖 专卖店只限10人排队

XinMing | 2020年5月2日 3:19 PM | 摄影 / 徐颖荃

(早报讯)隔离阻断期间,烘焙原料热卖,本地面粉和烘焙用品专卖店奋发再缩紧排队措施,只限10人排队,但人潮依然不减。

全岛有14家分店的奋发昨日贴文通知,为控制排队人潮,只限10人店外排队,若太多人聚集店外,只能暂时关店。

因为阻断措施,很多人在家期间开始烘焙,奋发上周就已不堪负荷,将按照顾客身份证尾号配单双日的形式错开人流,并限制顾客每人10分钟的购物时间。

《新明日报》记者今早在大巴窑一巷第107座组屋的发现,虽然大家都自觉遵守安全距离,排队人数仍超过20人。

顾客何女士(74岁,主妇)说,她早上9点来过一次,工作人员让他10点再来,谁知回来了还要重新排队,如果离开,担心回来还是要排队,因此不愿离开。

不过也有公众选择配合,原本在排队的顾客林先生说,自己会想离开,等下再回来。

奋发零售主管李东说,今早的情况还可控,没有分行因人潮过多需要暂时关闭。他说,如果人数多于10人,有工作人员会提醒公众,请他们暂时离开,过30分钟后再回来。虽然大部分愿意合作,但是也有人不愿意离开。

他说,早上刚开门时人潮会比较多,大部分分店到11点、12点队伍人数会比较正常。

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/200502-Xinming-烘焙原料热卖-专卖店只限10人排队-_-早报.pdf

发手机短信疏散等候民众

XinMing | 2 May 2020

奋发率先在元兰分行以发出手机短信(SMS)方式来疏散等候民众,惟民众收到手机短信后徘徊店外,出现少许混乱。

本报记者到奋发位于元兰31街第302座组屋分行观察,工作人员在检查民众身份证尾数是否可按单或双数,允许入店后就会在平板电脑的软件,输入民众电话号码 ,发出手机短信注明需等待时间与排队号码.

刘小姐(37岁,家庭主妇)说,收到短信指在90分钟后再回到店里。

 该店分行店长李秋玉说,待软件自动推算到哪一个排队号码的民众可倒回分行时,会发出第二个手机信息,指示民众可在10分钟内回分行。

 她说,此措施昨天开始,目前软件系统顺畅,但难免有一些人在收到手机信息后,不愿离开.

本报记者观察,有民众分散站在店附近草地,电梯与楼梯口,虽然没了 长长人龙,但有少许混乱。

COVID-19: Public urged to bring along NRICs to supermarkets, malls

Yahoo News Singapore | 29 April 2020 | Amir Hussain

SINGAPORE — Amid enhanced circuit breaker measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, more supermarkets and malls will be scanning patrons’ National Registration Identification Cards (NRICs) or asking them to enter the NRIC numbers via an online national visitor registration system as part of their contact tracing regime.

Yahoo News Singapore understands that a number of malls and NTUC FairPrice and Dairy Farm Group Singapore outlets have begun scanning customers’ NRICs or asking them to use the government-developed cloud-based check-in system SafeEntry, alongside taking their temperatures.

Among them are NTUC FairPrice outlets at Whitesands, Junction 8, Tanjong Pagar Plaza and Serangoon North Ave 1, Cold Storage outlets at Great World City and Takashimaya, ION Orchard and NEX.

By scanning a QR code, patrons can authenticate their visit to a supermarket or mall on SafeEntry via SingPass Mobile or by manually entering their name, NRIC and mobile number.

Last Tuesday (21 April), the authorities announced that temperature screening will be conducted at all supermarkets and malls. Additionally, patrons visiting a list of 16 malls with supermarkets in them and four other non-mall supermarkets with high traffic will also be required for provide their particulars for contact tracing.

When contacted on Wednesday (29 April), a spokesperson for Enterprise Singapore told Yahoo News Singapore, “We are glad to see that many malls and supermarkets have since implemented temperature screening and contact tracing, and understand that the rest will do the same in the next few days.

“We therefore advise customers to bring along their identification card when visiting the malls and supermarkets, so that they will be allowed to enter,” the spokesperson added.

When contacted, an NTUC FairPrice spokesperson said, “The latest initiative to facilitate contact tracing at our stores is in compliance with the latest precautionary measures set by the authorities.”

The spokesperson added, “FairPrice continues to work closely with the authorities and support various measures such as safe distancing, personal protection, as well as enhanced cleaning schedules to protect the well-being of our staff and customers during this period.”

Yahoo News Singapore has reached out to Dairy Farm Group with queries on the NRIC scanning and contact tracing procedures.

Visit malls, supermarkets alone whether it was considering limiting the entry of customers to supermarkets and malls by the last digit of their NRICs, or whether it was considering limiting the frequency of customers’ entries to supermarkets and malls.

Last Friday (24 April), popular baking supplies chain Phoon Huat said it will limit entry to its and RedMan shops based on NRIC or Foreign Identification Number (FIN) number.

The announcement came after the National Environment Agency said last Tuesday that it would restrict access to four popular markets – where long queues were still seen – based on NRIC/FIN numbers: Geylang Serai Market, Block 104/105 Yishun Ring Road (Chong

Pang Market), Block 20/21 Marsiling Lane, and Block 505 Jurong West Street 52. Patrons with an even last digit (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) in their NRIC/FIN numbers can only visit these markets on the even dates of the month, and those with an odd last digit (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) can only visit these markets on the odd dates of the month.

As of Wednesday (29 April) noon, a total of 15,641 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Singapore.

A total of 14 people have died from complications of the virus here while another fourpatients who tested positive for the virus have died from causes unrelated to COVID-19.

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/200429-Yahoo-News-COVID-19_-Public-urged-to-bring-along-NRICs-to-supermarkets-malls.pdf

【冠状病毒19】泡泡茶和烘焙原料需求增加

Channel 8 News | 2020年4月26日 19:39 | 文: 谢欣宁

阻断措施实施期间,不少人选择在家烘焙糕点或自制泡泡茶。一些原材料如木薯粉、普通面粉和蛋糕粉等,在一些超市和网上平台卖到断货。受访超市表示,这期间的需求增加两成。

记者走访一些超市时发现,用来制作珍珠粉圆的木薯粉已被人抢购一空,黑糖则还有存货。有些则因为还没来得及补货,架子被清空了。

本地超市网站和网购平台所售买的木薯粉和黑糖,其中几款也售罄。

受访邻里巴刹的杂货店摊主表示,最近留在家中的人多了,有些决定亲自制作糕点、甜品或泡泡茶的珍珠,因此购买木薯粉和黑糖等原材料的人更多,但目前还有存货。

一名摊主透露:“最近木薯粉跟黑糖,销了很多,比平常还要多,一半多。”

另一名摊主则说:“没有去算,大概蛮多。很销量,每天都有人买这个。”

还有摊主表示:“我们有供应商,一个礼拜有来三次,够啦。”

此外,也有越来越多人选择在家烘焙。职总平价超市受询时指出,一些烘焙材料,如面粉、椰奶、巧克力和鸡蛋,过去两周的销量同三月份下旬相比增加了两成。

一家面粉和烘焙用品专卖店表示,零售面粉销量近期增加超过六成,生产部门已加班,并加快包装零售面粉供出售。

本地最大面粉供应商百龄麦指出,这个月的零售额同过去一般月份相比,增加了近50%。

公司指出,开斋节即将到来,加上国人近期因为阻断措施而留在家中烹煮或烘焙,所以预测到需求将增加。不过整体的面粉供应仍然稳定。

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/200426-Channel-8-News-【冠状病毒19】泡泡茶和烘焙原料需求增加.pdf

奋发专卖店首日限号限时买烘焙品 人潮不减

Zaobao | 2020年4月25日 2:29 PM | 摄影 / 严宣融

(早报讯)本地面粉和烘焙用品专卖店奋发宣布实施“限号限时”措施首日,店门口排队人潮不减,各间店面则依照人流弹性管控。一些店每隔一段时间就暂停排队,也有一些店须出示身份证才可入内。

在家烘焙风气旺,奋发(Phoon Huat)近日门口常有大排长龙的情况。该公司分别于前天和昨天发面簿贴文通知公众,旗下14家分店将按照身份证尾号配单双日的形式,把顾客错开,并限制顾客每人10分钟的购物时间。

记者今早(4月25日)走访几间奋发分店,发现排队购物的人潮并未因新管控措施而减少。大巴窑分店门口蜿蜒的队伍时刻至少保持50至60人。一名店员在门口检查顾客身份证,对忘记携带者通融放行,但同时提醒他们,从明天起就必须出示身份证才可入内。

后港的分店早上10时一开门便可见约30米长的队伍,排队人数超过20人。分店主管杨永秋(38岁)透露,他从10时10分开始暂停排队,让其余顾客11时再来。否则排队人流会和过去一周一样,至少60人左右。

杨永秋说,如果任由顾客排队,人一多便很难遵守安全距离,这不仅可能让顾客被罚款,也会牵连公司受处罚。“公司有允许我们暂时照人流弹性管控。我不忍心将没带身份证的顾客拒之门外,只好隔一段时间就暂停排队。”

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/200425-Zaobao-奋发专卖店首日限号限时买烘焙品-人潮不减-_-早报.pdf

在家烘焙大热 材料用品专店 也得限号入内

Zaobao | 2020年4月25日 3:30 AM

在家学烘焙蔚然成风,店门口不时大排长龙的面粉和烘焙用品专卖店奋发即日起也采取类似巴刹的控制人潮措施,旗下的14家分店须限号入内,并限制上门光顾的顾客每人10分钟的购物时间。 

奋发有限公司(Phoon Huat)分别于前天和昨日发出面簿贴文通知公众,各分行将按照身份证尾号配单双日的形式,把顾客错开。

就如本周在四座巴刹实施的人流管制措施,身份证号尾数为双数的顾客可在双日进入店里,尾数为单数的公众则限于单另外,除了进门前须测量体温及申报健康状况,公众在店内也须戴着口罩及时刻保持一米的安全距离。

购物时间只限10分钟

奋发也提醒公众,每人在店内只有10分钟的购物时间,建议顾客独自购物,以减少店里人数。各分店目前已采用免触式电子结账方式(contactless payment)。

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/200425-Zaobao-在家烘焙大热-材料用品专店-也得限号入内-_-早报.pdf

COVID-19: Phoon Huat and RedMan shops to limit entry based on NRIC/FIN numbers from 25 April

Yahoo News Singapore | 24 April 2020 | Staff Writer Singapore

SINGAPORE — Popular baking supplies chain Phoon Huat said it will limit entry to its and RedMan shops based on National Registration Identification Card (NRIC) or Foreign Identification Number (FIN) numbers starting from Saturday (25 April) amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a post on its Facebook page on Friday, Phoon Huat said entry by customers to its shops will be based on odd or even dates depending on the last digits of their NRIC and FIN numbers.

The announcement comes after the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Tuesday that it would restrict access to four popular markets based on NRIC/FIN numbers from Wednesday: Geylang Serai Market, Block 104/105 Yishun Ring Road (Chong Pang Market), Block 20/21 Marsiling Lane, and Block 505 Jurong West Street 52. The NEA noted that long queues were still seen at these markets over the last weekend.

Patrons with an even last digit (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) in their NRIC/FIN numbers can only visit these markets on the even dates of the month, and those with an odd last digit (1, 3, 5, 7,9) can only visit these markets on the odd dates of the month.

Phoon Huat also outlined several other additional measures to limit the entry of its customers.

Among them, customers have to fill a health declaration form before entry. Phoon Huat is also limiting shopping time to 10 minutes. Customers have to use contactless payment and those who insist on paying by cash will be offered plastic bags in place of change.

On Thursday, Enterprise Singapore (ESG) dispelled a rumour circulating online which claimed that a list of supermarkets have been added to the list of wet markets where access is restricted based on NRIC/FIN numbers.

“The supermarkets and malls listed were identified as high traffic stores which are required to gather contact details of customers for contact tracing, where practicable. This is to safeguard the well-being of customers and supermarket staff,” ESG said in a post on Facebook.

ESG announced on Tuesday that a total of 16 malls with supermarkets in them and four other non-mall supermarkets with high traffic have been urged to conduct contact tracing of customers.

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/200424-Yahoo-News-COVID-19_-Phoon-Huat-and-Redman-shops-to-limit-entry-based-on-NRIC_FIN-numbers-from-25-April.pdf

【冠状病毒19】烘焙材料店奋发明起按身份证单双数限制入场

Channel 8 News | 2020年4月24日 17:26

国人在阻断措施期间纷纷在家烘焙解闷,导致烘焙材料店奋发大排长龙,奋发宣布将从明天(25日)起,实施按身份证号码单双数限制入场。

奋发昨天的社交媒体Facebook贴文透露仍将继续营业,但需要大家尽一份力配合,而他们也将采取一系列措施,包括如同热门巴刹所采用的制度。

从明天起,身份证号码为单数的公众只能在单数日到旗下的奋发和Redman商店,身份证号码为双数者则只能在双数日前去购物。

商店也会实施体温检测,出现发烧症状者不得进入,公众也必须申报健康状况。公众在购物时也必须遵守戴口罩的规定,并且独自购物,与其他顾客保持一米距离。

奋发也建议公众,先列下要买的商品,加速购物过程,赶紧回家。

此外,商店也鼓励公众使用无现金方式付费,若是坚持以现金付费,店家不会以现金找钱,而是会以塑料袋取代,大、中、小的塑料袋为 一角钱,特大塑料袋则为两角钱,收益将捐给慈善。

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/200424-Channel-8-News-【冠状病毒19】烘焙材料店奋发明起按身份证单双数限制入场.pdf

Phoon Huat And Redman Stores To Restrict Entry According To NRIC And FIN Numbers From Apr 25

8 Days | 24 Apr 2020 11:34 | By Jasmine Teo

Don’t be surprised if more people are planning to bake this weekend, now that cakes are becoming a scarcity after the latest circuit breaker measures. If you’re stocking up on ingredients for your own bakes from Phoon Huat or Redman stores, you’ll have to plan your trip according to its new shopping restrictions.

The baking supplies chain, highly popular for its large variety of baking supplies and ingredients, announced yesterday (Apr 23) several new shopping restrictions.

From Apr 25, entry to stores will be restricted according to the last digit of NRIC or FIN numbers of shoppers. That is, if the last digit on your identification card is an odd number, you’ll only be allowed entry on dates with odd numbers, and vice versa for even numbers.

This is similar to entry restrictions that are already in place at several wet markets under the enhanced circuit breaker measures that came into effect on Apr 22.

In addition, shoppers at Phoon Huat and Redman outlets will also be allowed only 10 minutes to shop.

On top of that, no cash and no change will be available; only contactless payment methods are available. Anyone who insists on paying cash will be given change in the form of plastic bags — small, medium and large plastic bags are worth 10 cents each, and XL bags are worth 20 cents. All sales of plastic bags will go towards charity.

These are just some of the shopping restrictions that will be in place at the chain’s 14 shops across Singapore, which have seen longer-than-usual queues during the circuit breaker.

Other crowd control and safe distancing measures taken at Phoon Huat stores include temperature taking and filling up of online health declaration forms. Patrons must also adhere to the 1m safe distancing rule in stores, wear a mask at all times, and are encouraged to shop alone. Too much hassle? Order those baking supplies at its online store instead at www.redmanshop.com.

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/200424-8days-Phoon-Huat-And-Redman-Stores-To-Restrict-Entry-According-To-NRIC-Numbers-From-Apr-25-8-DAYS.pdf

国人居家“练身手” 烘焙食材缺货超市销量增幅达两倍

ZaoBao | 2020年4月22日 3:30 AM | 文 / 叶俊颖, 王晓亚, 杨浚鑫, 林静雯摄影 / 唐家鸿

阻断措施期间工厂人手受到限制,但本地最大面粉供应商百龄麦强调:“面粉原料的供应是稳定的,我们正在迅速提高产量满足需求,并正与分销商和零售商密切合作,为他们尽快补货。”

病毒阻断措施推行期间国人居家练身手,本地近日掀起烘焙热潮,烘焙用品需求激增,各大超市的货架出现不同程度的烘焙食材断货现象,有超市业者的相关食材销量增幅高达两倍。

受询的本地面粉供应商表示,面粉原料供应稳定,他们正在尽最大努力提高产量满足市场需求,为超市货架迅速补货。

《联合早报》记者过去几日观察发现,不少本地超市的普通面粉、蛋糕粉、玉米粉和烘焙巧克力等烘焙产品被抢购一空,出现不同程度的断货情况。

阻断措施期间人手受限 面粉产能比平日慢一些拥有冷藏公司(Cold Storage)、巨人(Giant)、Jasons Deli和Market Place超市的本地连锁超市业者牛奶公司(Dairy Farm)答复《联合早报》询问时说,他们的烘焙产品销量近期增加了两倍,热卖产品包括普通面粉(Plain Flour)、自发粉(Self-raising Flour)、蛋糕粉和烘焙酵母(Baking Yeast)。

职总平价超市的烘焙食材销量过去两周也比3月下旬多两成,热卖产品除了面粉还包括椰浆、烘焙巧克力和鸡蛋。

本地最大面粉供应商百龄麦昨天(4月21日)向《联合早报》透露,他们3月份的零售面粉产品销量几乎增加一倍,本月销量也已超越平常月份至少五成。

公司发言人说:“我们已经预测到开斋节将至面粉需求会增加。现在国人对烘焙和烹饪的兴趣又提高,但去购物的次数减少,所以更多人会选择囤购面粉。”

一些百龄麦的零售面粉产品在超市货架已经断货好几天没补货。有不愿具名的公司员工向《联合早报》透露,阻断措施期间工厂人手受到限制,加上一些中国和马来西亚员工没能返回我国开工,面粉产能多少受到一定影响,会比平日里产得慢一些。

不过,公司发言人在声明中强调:“面粉原料的供应是稳定的,我们正在迅速提高产量满足需求,并正与分销商和零售商密切合作,为他们尽快补货。”

为购买烘焙用品大排长龙另外,主要向餐饮业客户供应面粉和其他烘焙用品的奋发有限公司(Phoon Huat)分店,近日也出现不少民众为购买烘焙用品而大排长龙。

粉销量近期增加至少六成。至于店外出现人龙是因推行人流管制和安全距离措施,如限制入店的人数、测量顾客的体温和让他们填写声明表格等等,这些都会耗时。”

为加快顾客的流动,他们安排工作人员协助顾客尽快找到所要的产品,并接受无现金付款。为鼓励顾客网购,奋发上个月也启用网站接收订单,把客户的订货送上门。

不过,有四年烘焙经验的奋发门店常客杨惠君(20岁,学生)还是选择到门店购买烘焙食材。她说:“很多人宁愿到店里买,因为网上评论他们的网购服务仍有不少问题,有些货物送上门后不齐全,还有些门店卖的产品在网站和应用程序上搜不到。”

本地几家邻里面包店受询时说,他们的面粉供应一切如常,暂时没受到影响。

实龙岗北的钻旺蛋糕店老板娘陈炫(58岁)说:“我们从马来西亚进口面粉,供应暂时不受影响,我们有多囤一个星期的货,有问题时可以顶上几天。”

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/200422-Zaobao-国人居家练身手-烘焙食材缺货超市销量增幅达两倍-_-早报.pdf

【冠状病毒19】烘焙材料店大排长龙 网民:大家都快变烘焙高手了!

Channel 8 News | 2020年4月19日 15:04 | 文: 蔡佑霞

待在家里,以烘培解闷?本地阻断措施实施已近两周, 有网民就发现,烘焙材料店这两天也像超市一样大排长龙,让一些网民哭笑不得,笑称:“大家都快变烘焙高手了!”

这两周大家大多时间都待在家,烘焙似乎已成为不少人消磨时间的新爱好,不少网民纷纷在社交媒体上载自己亲手做的蛋糕、面包和饼干的照片。

或许是因为这个原因,本地的一些烘焙材料店也出现长长的人龙。

Singapore Atrium Sale在Facebook页面分享了两则帖文,显示在勿洛和布莱德地铁站(Braddell MRT Station)的烘焙材料店Redman都排起了长长的人龙。有网民留言说:“本来想去买东西的,看来还是算了。” 也有人说:“怪不得超市里的面粉都卖完了,因为突然每个人都在分享创意烘焙甜点的照片,哈哈。”

本地IG网红李迎华(@katechiclove)也与8视界新闻记者分享表示,昨天(18日)傍晚6点多,勿洛的Redman分店排起了长长的人龙,约有30人在队伍中。

她说:“我排了15分钟,然后就放弃了。想说去超市看看有没有我需要的材料。没想到超市里的一些(烘焙材料)都卖完了。”

她也笑着说,自己确实是因为在家里太闷了,所以才会开始烘焙,“因为我在家里好闷,所以想在周末时烘焙。已经连续两个星期不间断在烘焙了。”

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/200419-Channel-8-News-【冠状病毒19】烘焙材料店大排长龙-网民:大家都快变烘焙高手了!.pdf

【冠状病毒19】更多支付点用SGQR码 一些店不收现金

Channel 8 News | 2020年4月19日 19:03 | 文: 李赠谊

金融管理局4月最新数据显示,短短一个月内,我国再有2万多个支付点使用共用SGQR码,供人们扫描付款,也有商家在2019冠病阻断措施期间,果断实施“零接触”措施,支持无现金交易,拒收现金。

疫情期间,一家烘焙用品专卖店旗下15间分行鼓励消费者刷卡付款,如果顾客使用现金,找钱时店员就会以塑料袋来代替零钱。一个塑料袋等于一毛钱。大型塑料袋则等于两毛钱。业者说目前少过两成消费者使用现金支付。

一名消费者说:“至少可以减少接触,因为据说钞票钱币是最肮脏的东西。”

另一面消费者则表示:“我是比较喜欢用现金,我不喜欢用无现金的,比较容易,不收现金我就不要买咯。”

烘焙用品专卖店店长刘荣耀表示:“我们会尽量跟顾客解释说用无现金付款,我们可以避免病毒的传播。在这个期间每个银行都需要排队,所以我们可以免除金钱的处理。”

为加速交易、缩短人龙,店员会在店外逐一地询问公众想要购买什么产品,帮他们检查是否有货,核对产品之后直接进行无现金交易,缩短他们在店内的时间。

主打生酮餐饮的一家咖啡馆,则建议食客网上订购付款、再外送到家。如果顾客亲自到访,就只能扫码支付或电子转账。

咖啡馆联合创办人马晓薇说:“我们现在也有WhatsApp,那这些可能他们对科技不熟悉,他们会直接打电话给我们,我们就在电话上解释怎么订购我们的蛋糕、面包这类的。”

截至4月1日,我国已有超过13万1700个支付点采用SGQR码,比七个月前多了将近10万个。用户只需扫描二维码,就能选择超过30种支付模式。

Link to article: https://www.phoonhuat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/200419-Channel-8-news-【冠状病毒19】更多支付点用SGQR码-一些店不收现金.pdf

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