City Mart Holdings (CMHL): Best Retail Corporate Citizen Southeast Asia 2017

It all began with a tiny grocery store in downtown Yangon close to the Boyoke Aung San Stadium. That was in 1996. Today, City Mart is Myanmar’s largest supermarket chain – and much more besides – and an icon of the country’s buoyant retail sector. Putting the client centre stage clearly pays off.

City Mart Holdings (CMHL) is a winner on all fronts and a leader across all sectors it ventured into. The company operates pharmacies, bookstores, upscale supermarkets, departments stores, bakeries, convenience outlets, and cafeterias. As such, City Mart Holding Co Ltd is exceptionally well-exposed to the tremendous upside of the Myanmar market as the country gets ready to join the select club of Southeast Asian tiger economies.

Moreover, City Mart Holdings stands as a proud testament to the empowerment of women. Not only is fully two-third of its staff female, women effectively run the business, occupying 75% of the holding’s management positions.

From its modest beginnings, City Mart has expended significant efforts to value its staff and engage the wider community, including business partners, suppliers, and – of course – customers. Teamwork and a relentless dedication to excellence in both day-to-day operations and customer care has allowed the company to outpace the competition and maintain – and indeed expand – its leading edge.

The CFI.co judging panel is impressed by the growth trajectory of City Mart Holdings and considers the company a shining example worthy for others to follow. As such, City Mart Holdings (CMHL) is a natural winner of the 2017 Best Retail Corporate Citizen Southeast Asia Award.