MOL PLUS Co., Ltd. (MOL) has announced its decision to invest in Secai Marche, which operates an ecommerce platform for fresh produce, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia.

Secai Marche directly supplies hotels, restaurants, and retail outlets in Malaysia and Singapore with high-quality fresh produce from Japanese and local producers through its proprietary cold chain logistics network and fresh food e-commerce platform.

"MOL Plus has now decided to invest in Secai Marche, drawn by its logistics network — which enables integrated, end-to-end transportation of fresh produce from production areas to consumption markets while maintaining product quality — as well as by its unique distribution model using an e-commerce platform to directly connect producers with consumers," the announcement said.

The MOL Group is advancing a regional strategy, under the management plan "BLUE ACTION 2035," aimed at expanding its businesses and bolstering its presence in global markets as a global social infrastructure company group.

Cold chain investment in SEA

In particular, the Group is expanding its logistics business in the cold chain and other sectors in Southeast Asia, where demand is expected to rise in line with economic development and population growth.

Moving forward, the MOL Group will continue to examine specific means of collaborating in the storage and transportation of fresh produce within the cold chain sector — expected to see further growth within Southeast Asia —including responding to the growing demand to expand logistics facilities as Secai Marche continues to broaden its business foundation as well as to the demand for food logistics from Japan to Southeast Asia.

MOL PLUS continually works to generate synergetic effects based on startup companies' innovative ideas and technologies and MOL Group's resources, aiming to create new businesses plus new value to the ocean shipping industry.