Vuitton Pang is widely known as the 3rd generation successor of Mamee Double-Decker snack empire - the addictive barbecue snack with a blue furry monster most Malaysians grew up with. In this episode, Vuitton brought us back to the early days when he’d go knocking on doors as the “Mamee Boy” in Australia, opens up about handling family expectations and shares a thing or two about the local convenience store scene and what is it really like bringing a huge franchise like emart24 into Malaysia.

“A lot of people think we are so lucky to have this safety net. But along with the privilege comes great expectations.” - Vuitton Pang

Timestamps:

00:00 - Guest Introduction

01:18 - Growing up in Melaka and attending public schools

04:00 - “Gems will not stay hidden for too long in Melaka.”

05:18 - My first exposure to business

06:23 - On handling family expectations

08:55 - Melaka to Melbourne

09:36 - “Mamee Boy” knocking on doors in Victoria to working for OSK Investment Bank

11:00 - Bringing emart24 to the Malaysians

12:12 - Transitioning from Food Manufacturing to Retail

13:40 - How to find the perfect location for your business

14:55 - Creating loyalty among Millennials & Gen Zs

17:38 - A day in the life of Vuitton Pang

19:02 - Local convenience store scene in Malaysia

20:51 - Changing Malaysians’ shopping habits at conveniences store with innovation

22:28 - Gone were the Apollo chocolate wafer days?

24:10 - Values I’ve learned from the Mamee days

26:00 - Bringing a franchise into Malaysia

27:13 - emart24 to launch 300 stores in 5 years - What are the challenges?

28:36 - Advice for listeners who are looking to bring in brands from other countries