Dear Stakeholders,

​

2022 and the first six months of 2023 continued to be challenging for CMHL, as we dealt with the protracted consequences of social, political, and economic crises. In our last statement we said that, as a responsible business, we cannot thrive when people are facing challenges.  Nevertheless, we can and must adapt to safeguard jobs, serve our customers with joy, and enable Myanmar food producers and manufacturers to operate.

 

CMHL connects food producers and suppliers with consumers through our stores and e-commerce platform. But, as we aim to be a responsible retailer, we strive to create value for Myanmar, and we are delighted when, for example, farmers in Shan state can benefit from their relationships with us as their products can be bought by our consumers, who can then enjoy healthy, safe and affordable products. We are proud to enable this every day across our 210+ stores nationwide and through our e-commerce platform: our 6,000+ staff serve 100,000 customers on average. Every day, our staff display Myanmar products on our shelves, and our customers can obtain high-quality, locally sourced and affordable products.

 

Since our last report, we have also transformed and adapted CMHL on various fronts. Socially, we created 600 new jobs, increased the remuneration of our staff and provided them with various means to cope with inflation. By sourcing more from Myanmar farmers, we ensured that the prices of essential products, such as cooking oil or eggs, were as stable as possible and did not negatively impact our consumers’ livelihoods.

 

Environmentally, we started to invest massively in renewable energy to power our stores: we aim to install up to 8 MW of capacity by the end of 2024, which will also help us reduce our carbon emissions. We are also pleased with our progress in reducing our plastic footprint. Our work with our stakeholders has started paying off, but we must continue our efforts. Finally, on the governance front, CMHL welcomed a new CEO in 2022, Phyo Min Kyaw, who was trained and coached by our former CEO, Glen Attewell. More than ever, we know that our customers and team members choose to shop with, and work for, a company that is driven by clear and inspiring values. This sixth sustainability report aims to provide you with facts and data on our progress. It is a way for us to be accountable and cultivate our stakeholders’ confidence, which is essential for embracing a better future together. Should you have any comments or questions about our report, do not hesitate to contact our sustainability officer by email at sustainability@cmhl.com.mm .

​

Yours sincerely,

​