Cold Storage is the second-largest supermarket chain in Singapore behind NTUC FairPrice, owned by Dairy Farm International Holdings. It operates three supermarket brands in Singapore and Malaysia; Cold Storage (in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia), Market Place (in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong) and Giant Hypermarket (in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Vietnam, and UAE).
Established in 1903, Cold Storage started as a small depot storing and selling mainly frozen meat from Australia. In its early days, the company’s primary concern was to have a quick and profitable turnover of its imported meats and range of products. Later, Cold Storage shifted from counter-service to self-service, introducing the supermarket to Singapore. Then the company pioneered the concept of multiple retailing, capitalizing on bulk buying and economies of scale. In recognizing the importance of freshness guaranteed, Cold Storage started the Fresh Food Distribution Centre in Singapore in 1999, a composite multi-temperature warehousing for fresh and frozen food distribution. Cold Storage was the first supermarket of Singapore to offer its merchandise in cyberspace in 1997. The number of regular customers has since then grown from 6,000 in 1998 to more than 15,000 in 2012 to currently over 15,000.
The company operates 48 Cold Storage stores in Singapore, located across the country in a city center, rich suburbs and HDB estates, and 19 stores in Malaysia.
