Room for Sheng Siong to grow despite e-commerce threat

THE entry of e-commerce players hasn't been quite the market disruptor for the Sheng Siong Group as expected, it seems.

Even as the local supermarket chain made its foray into China with its first overseas store in the fourth quarter of last year, it remains in a position to open even more in Singapore this year.

One reason for the relative insulation is that Sheng Siong's target customers generally aren't the tech-savvy millennials or the shoppers willing to pay a premium for delivery, analysts have pointed out. Its focus on high-margin fresh food, which accounted for 44 per cent of its revenue in 2017, also gives it a competitive edge over rivals.