Datuk Wira Ameer Ali Mydin of Mydin Mohamed Holdings joins the Breakfast Grille show on 14 April 2026 breaks down the Madani Mart model, drawing on his own RM185 million loss with Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M), and his key concerns about the model.
Mydin was started by his father Mydin Mohamed Ghulam Hussein, who migrated from Penang to Kota Baru, Kelantan in August 1957.
His father began selling sundry goods on the sidewalk and from a small wooden shop on Jalan Tok Hakim, Kota Baru.
His elder brother, Datuk Murad Ali Mydin, expanded the business by opening a second wooden shop in Kuala Terengganu in 1979.
The shop eventually grew to become a supermarket chain with the name Mydin.
Datuk Wira Ameer Ali Mydin made the move to bring the business to Kuala Lumpur and opened a store on Jalan Masjid India in 1989.
Mydin made a giant leap by opening its first mall and hypermarket in Subang Jaya, Selangor, in 2006 and the largest mall hypermarket at Kota Baru known as Mydin Tunjong in 2022.
Presently, Mydin has 61 branches with almost 7,000 employees nationwide and carries 130,000 stock-keeping units, including 100 of Mydin's original equipment manufacturer brands.
Mydin was the pioneer of the Rahmah initiative as it volunteered to initiate Menu Rahmah.
The journey then continued with the Payung Rahmah initiative, such as Jualan Rahmah, Bakul Rahmah and 'Kasih Sayang Ibu dan Si Manja' campaign, to lessen the burden of the low-income group and the hardcore poor.
Started in 1979 and after 47 years in 2026, Mydin only operates with 61 branches.
The 1st KK Mart outlet with RM60,000 in capital at the ground floor of a Kuchai Lama shop lot in January 2001.
Currently, there are nearly 800 KK Mart outlets across the country
The 1st KK Mart outlet started at the ground floor of a Kuchai Lama shop lot in January 2001.
Currently, there are nearly 800 KK Mart outlets across the country.
25 years to grow into 800 outlets.
99 Speedmart have its humble beginnings in 1987.
As of early 2026, after operating for 39 years, 99 Speedmart operates over 3,037 outlets nationwide across Malaysia.
MyNews first flagship store opened on 25 December 1996.
As of late 2025, myNEWS operates over 700 outlets across Malaysia.
Opening and scaling up a chain of retail mart is a bricks and mortar game.
It is not selling software when you can probably scale up your customer base fairly quickly or like a KOL achieving thousands of followers in days or months.
It is indeed laugable when Yayasan Madani announced that they aims to open at least 640 Madani Mart outlets nationwide within two years.
Well probably it is an achievable target.
Mydin, KK Mart, Speedmart 99, MyNews doesn’t have the support of the government.
Even though madani Mart claimed their concept and scheme doesn’t involve tax payers funding, it received support, logistical, supplies and network and training from the Yayasan.
Probably those promoting this scheme in Yayasan Madani, who have zero personal experience in this space, thought and believe that they would have beginner’s luck in this idea.
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