Prices of NTUC FairPrice house brands cut and to remain the same for 15 months

SINGAPORE — NTUC FairPrice has slashed the prices of 50 essential items under its house brands by up to 30 per cent, as part of moves to help customers cope with the cost of living.

The prices of these items, as well as 50 others under its house brands FairPrice, FairPrice Gold, Pasar and Home Proud, will also be held steady from Monday (March 18) until June 30 next year.

This means that regardless of inflation, the prices of these 100 items, which include daily essentials such as rice, oil, toiletries, batteries and household cleaners, will stay the same for the next 15 months.

Mr Seah Kian Peng, chief executive officer of FairPrice, said that these 100 items are “representative of what an average Singaporean household would need, and they are popular”. 

They will be at least 20 per cent cheaper than comparable leading brands, he added.

Right now, the supermarket operator offers more than 2,000 housebrand products that are priced at least 10 per cent lower than other brands, he said.

And for a one-year period from July onwards, customers who belong to the Merdeka Generation will enjoy a 3 per cent discount on all purchases every Wednesday.

Merdeka Generation individuals are those who were born from 1950 to 1959 and obtained citizenship in or before 1996, as well as seniors who were born in or before 1949, became citizens in or before 1996 and did not receive the Pioneer Generation Package.

Mr Ng Chee Meng, the secretary-general of NTUC, said that this was done because of feedback from workers that they needed more help to cope with the cost of living.

“So NTUC, as a social enterprise, we were trying to see how we could help in meaningful ways. Essentially, what we wanted to do was help people cope with the rising costs, in ways we could afford,” he said.

Last year, FairPrice saw about 600,000 daily customers in their supermarkets, Mr Seah said.

Based on FairPrice’s profiling of a young family’s inventory, a basket of everyday essentials would cost about S$106.61 if they were to choose other leading brands. If they bought only FairPrice’s housebrand products, the same basket would cost S$71.90.

Madam Michelle Lim, 41, a homemaker who shops at FairPrice regularly, said that she was “very heartened” by the initiative.

“The cost of living in Singapore is high and getting higher, everyone knows that. With these prices, it helps our family save a little more each time, and in the end, the savings add up to a bigger sum,” she said.

“And honestly, for the food products, there isn’t that much of a difference in taste if you look past the branding.”

DISCOUNTS ON WEDNESDAYS

For the discount that applies to the Merdeka Generation, shoppers would need to present the Merdeka cards, which would have been issued by July, or valid identifications at the point of purchase.

This scheme is projected to cost FairPrice about S$2.7 million, Mr Seah said.

“For our Merdeka Generation, we know that they’re reaching retirement, there are certain anxieties about healthcare and retirement needs,” he added.

As it is on Tuesdays now, customers over 60 years old enjoy a 2 per cent discount, while Pioneer Generation members — Singaporeans born in or before 1949 and became citizens in or before 1986 — get 3 per cent off on Mondays.

Last year, FairPrice gave out about S$7 million in discounts to the two groups.

As a member of the Merdeka Generation, Mr Lee Jek Soon, 64, said that he is pleased with the new discount.

“I think it’s very good for us older ones, I’m happy,” the retiree said in Mandarin.

“I’ve been using the discount on Tuesdays already, but sometimes, it’s a bit troublesome because there’s only that one day in the week I can grab the discount. But now I can get an even better one on Wednesdays, too.”