28 Laksa Shack Outlets By Year End

Saturday, June 07 2008 - SIERRA Circle Sdn Bhd, the operator of the Laksa Shack restaurants, plans to boost sales by 87 per cent to RM28 million as it doubles the number of its stores.

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There are now 14 Laksa Shack outlets in places like 1 Utama and Mid Valley in the Klang Valley and Queensbay Mall in Penang. Another 14 will be opened between now and December.

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"By year-end we will have 28 outlets and they will all be owned by us," managing director Anita Ali said.Between RM4 million and RM6 million will be spent on each store, including those in The Pavilion, Carrefour Subang Jaya, and Jusco Bukit Tinggi, Klang.

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"We forecast that with the new openings, our turnover will grow by 87 per cent in the year ending December 31 2007," she told Business Times in an interview. In 2006, the company made RM15 million in turnover. Laksa Shack outlets, whose bestsellers include asam laksa, Johor laksa and Sarawak laksa, enjoyed a like-for-like growth of between 10 and 15 per cent in 2006 compared to 2005.

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"We got our franchise licence earlier this year and we are in the midst of selecting the candidates," she said, indicating that growth possibilities could be bigger.Anita said the first franchise outlet could be opened as soon as a week before Hari Raya. While Anita would like to export her business, her priority is to grow the business in Malaysia.

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"Our focus now is on Malaysia first, although we have had enquiries from overseas including China, Australia and India."It will take another two to three years before we go overseas," she said. For a start, she wants to venture into Singapore and look for a Master Franchisee to tap Indonesia and Australia."Australians love our laksa," she added.

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In the meantime, she has plans to introduce a laksa vending machine and a mobile kitchen. "We want to introduce the vending machines next year at higher institutions or condominiums. It will have four or five flavours," "It will be a take-away concept under the franchise programme. Sale will be from a truck about the size of an ambulance, catering to office crowds. We are currently doing the prototype for it," she said.

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Following the success of her Laksa venture, Anita has decided to diversify her menu and plans to open another restaurant offering authentic traditional and Malaysian cuisine.The restaurant, to be called "Opah", will open this month and serve authentic ikan bakar, satay, nasi belanga and a variety of rendang from different states.

Business Times