NTUC FairPrice
NTUC FairPrice Co-Operative (Chinese: 新加坡职工总会平价合作社, கூட்டுறவு, ) is a supermarket chain based in Singapore and the largest in the country. The company is a co-operative of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). The group has 100 supermarkets across the island, with over 160 outlets of Cheers convenience stores island-wide. NTUC FairPrice has partnered with ExxonMobil to run several stations with a FairPrice branding at the minimarts at their stations. The supermarket has the slogan "Singapore's very own". History. NTUC FairPrice was first established on 22 July 1973 as NTUC Welcome Supermarket in Toa Payoh, to  solve the rising oil and daily prices then due to inflation. Then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew opened the first supermarket at Block 192, Toa Payoh Lorong 4, and it was the first of its kind. Around the same time, other unions such as the Singapore Industrial Labour Organisation and Pioneer Industries Employees Union also set up co-operatives to run supermarkets. The two organisations later merged in the early 1980s to form the Singapore Employees Co-operative (SEC). In May 1983, due to competition, NTUC Welcome and SEC merged to form a larger co-operative which was known as  NTUC FairPrice Co-Operative Limited. The company started a central-distribution system to change the way goods were delivered to stores, to enhance efficiency. This was owned by another company, but in 1998, FairPrice took full ownership of the warehouse and distribution company. It was renamed Grocery Logistics of Singapore (GLS). On 21 January 2003, FairPrice opened a new 13,000-square-metre Fresh Food Distribution Centre. The refrigerated-distribution facility centralises the distributions of fresh and chilled products to all the outlets in the chain. It is the first supermarket retailer in Singapore to build, own and operate its own  fresh-food distribution centre. That same year, FairPrice tied up with oil company ExxonMobil to open FairPrice Xpress and Cheers convenience outlets at seven Esso and Mobil stations as a pilot project. On 28 December 2006, FairPrice opened its largest branch in Singapore, the FairPrice Xtra hypermarket, at Ang Mo Kio Hub. The new S$12 million outlet offers a wider range of goods than the typical FairPrice supermarket, and includes new lines like electronic products and fashion wear. In August 2007, FairPrice opened its upmarket outlet at Bukit Timah Plaza named FairPrice Finest, after five months of refurbishment. The move  was to cater to the changing tastes of Singaporeans who are increasingly well-travelled. The , two-storey outlet has an offering of products different from other FairPrice stores, and also features a Swiss-style delicatessen, a wine cellar and a European bakery. FairPrice has plans to open more Finest outlets. FairPrice has attempted to expand into other countries. In 2003, it entered a joint venture with DBS Private Equity, New Hope Group, Silver Tie and Taiwan's Apex Group, known as Nextmall. The venture provided merchandising, management and logistics for a fee to Nextmart which is a China incorporated hypermarket . Seven hypermarkets were opened in China, with its first in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. Nextmall closed in 2005 after incurring a total of $80 million in debts and over $40 million in losses. A supermarket in Vietnam was opened in 2013 under a joint venture with Saigon Union of Trading Co-operatives, known as Co.opXtra Plus. FairPrice also operated Cheers convenience stores in Vietnam as of 2018. Retail formats. Every year, FairPrice offers NTUC Union Members (NTUC cardholders) and FairPrice shareholders dividends, along with cash-back rebates for all purchases made at FairPrice supermarkets island-wide. In collaboration with OCBC  Bank, FairPrice launched its FairPrice Plus membership programme in April 2007, offering banking solutions and promotions at all FairPrice supermarkets islandwide for all supermarket customers. For a minimum transaction of S$10, VISA payment is now accepted at all FairPrice supermarkets for the FairPrice Plus Card and the NTUC Plus Card (previously known as the NTUC-OCBC Visa Card) for NTUC Union Members. Union. Employees of NTUC FairPrice are represented by the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers' Union (FDAWU), an affiliate of the National Trades Union Congress.