Tough for bumiputra-only digital malls

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is facing challenges in boosting the market for the bumiputra-only Mara digital malls.
Rural and Regional Development Deputy Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi said to date, the four Mara digital centres nationwide had recorded collective sales of RM37.7 million as of Jan this year.
Alexander, however, said providing a competitive alternative to other established digital centres was not the primary objective for the establishment of the Mara digital malls.
"The main objective of such malls is to provide the opportunity for bumiputra entrepreneurs to venture into this field," he said.
"It is true that we are facing challenges and constraints in term of its market but we can still sustain it for now," he told the Dewan Rakyat.
He was responding to a supplementary question by Budiman Mohd Zohdi (BN - Sungai Besar) who asked how business owners in the Mara digital mall could provide a better competitive price on its gadgets for consumers.
The Mara digital mall was launched in Dec 2015 in response to a much-publicised dispute at Low Yat Plaza.