New Matsusei outlet focuses on freshness

Matsusei (松青超市), the nation's second-largest supermarket chain, opened an upscale outlet in Taipei's Tienmu district on Saturday, targeting white-collar Taiwanese residents and expatriates in the neighborhood.

With a dark green sign bearing the white letters "Matsusei" above the entrance -- rather than the Chinese characters as at the chain's other outlets -- the new Japanese-style outlet attracted a lot of attention. It is located right next to an outlet of its major rival, Wellcome (頂好超市).

"This brand new store format offers medium- and high-priced goods, and freshness will be especially emphasized," said Liu You-chin (劉友清), Matsusei's associate manager for marketing and planning.

Around 50 percent of the produce is imported from Japan and Western countries to constitute diversified product combinations, Liu said.

In addition, Matsusei has decided to renovate its 80 outlets nationwide, including the Marukyu (丸久) supermarkets, within three years to solidify its competitive edge, Liu said.

Matsusei and Marukyu are both subsidiaries of Wei Chuan Foods Corp (味全食品).

Faced with the new competition next door, Wellcome's chief operations officer Howard Tsai (蔡裕人) said the impact will be limited, as the two stores cater to different customer needs.