SUBANG JAYA: Malaysia’s only integrated golf retail chain store MST Golf Sdn Bhd, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, is poised to continue growing in all areas of golf with renewed confidence.
Over the years, the company has carved its name solidly as the leading golf company in the country with integrated services; from retail, wholesale, driving range and golf academy to corporate sales and event management.
With a staff strength of more than 400 people, MST Golf has evolved from a small entrepreneurial enterprise to a regional company with presence in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
MST Golf chief executive Ng Yap said with a dynamic management team and sales force, the company will continue to set new heights and standards for the golf retailing industry.
“I am very proud of what we have achieved in these past 25 years. We always aim to drive the industry forward and I attribute our success to all MST staff,” he said.
Looking ahead, Ng said MST Golf is gearing up to expand its business in the country. The company currently has 41 outlets in Malaysia.
“We aim to open four more outlets this year, two in Klang Valley and one each in Penang and Sarawak,” he told Business Times in an interview recently.
Also present at the interview were MST Golf managing director Low Kok Poh and its unit MST Sports Retail Sdn Bhd executive director Paul Gibbons.
In term of sales, Ng said MST Golf anticipates to continue its performance. Last year, the company clocked in sales of RM120 million.
Established in 1989 by Ng and Low, the company initially sold second-hand golf equipment from the United States.
As the market started to pick up, the company started selling golf equipment such bags, shoes and golf clubs, both wood and iron.
“Apart from selling golf equipment, we also provides services such as repair, reconditioning and trade-in”, Ng said.
MST Golf’s history goes back to 1989, when Ng and Low, who are both engineers by profession, decided to venture into general trading and marketing.
In 1991, the duo opened their first retail outlet in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
Initially, the company was incorporated as Masinthai Sdn Bhd. It then changed its name to MST Golf Sdn Bhd in 1992.
Today, MST Golf is a recognised brand in the golfing community, operating the largest retail chain with more than 50 outlets, driving ranges and academies across the region.
MST Golf will continue to create a strong impact on the regional golf scene with its consistent strength in providing quality products and services to golfers from all walks of life.
“We are very customer-focused and always strive to deliver beyond customers’ expectations. We work very closely with all the brands to best serve our customers,” Low said.
In 2011, MST Golf obtained a licence from the United Kingdom’s largest sports retailer, SportsDirect.com, to distribute the latter’s products here. Both parties had inked a joint-venture deal last year to open SportsDirect outlets locally.
The pact provides MST Golf with stronger financial backing and clearer vision to expand its non-golf segment, while for SportDirect, the deal enables the company to leverage on MST Golf’s knowledge to localise the retail business for the Asian market.
Meanwhile, MST Sports Retail’s Gibbons said SportsDirect has been eyeing opportunities to penetrate the Asian market and the partnership with MST Golf has helped fast-track its expansion.
He said in Malaysia, the company is looking at establishing 20 SportsDirect outlets within the next two years.
Currently, it has five outlets namely in Subang Jaya, Bandar Utama (1Utama), Desa Tebrau (Tesco Extra), Seberang Jaya (Tesco Extra) and Bukit Tinggi (Tesco Extra).
SportsDirect has more than 20 brands under its portfolio, which include its own brands such as Dunlop, Slazenger and Lonsdale as well as big names like Nike, Adidas and Reebok.
MST Golf has won the Best Brand in Golf at the BrandLaureate Awards for three consecutive years.