Cold Storage (supermarket)

Cold Storage is a Singaporean multinational supermarket company. Its parent company also operates Market Place stores, now branded as Cold Storage Fresh, as well as the Giant hypermarket brand, and has various other supermarkets around Asia including Hero and Wellcome.

Founded in 1903 as the Singapore Cold Storage Company,[1] Cold Storage was one of the first supermarkets in Singapore to offer its merchandise online in 1997. The number of regular customers has since grown from 6,000 in 1998, to more than 15,000 in 2012.[2] In 1992, DFI purchased the company. It was sold to Macrovalue in 2025.

SGS has awarded a HACCP certification to Cold Storage, for its quality and integrity in food safety.[3]

History

Early years

Established in 1903 in Singapore, Cold Storage started as a small depot storing and selling mainly frozen meat.[6] Cold Storage was then known as the Singapore Cold Storage Company, and was the main manufacturer of ice in Singapore. Taking advantage of the booming ice manufacturing and refrigeration business, Cold Storage ventured into the ice cream business. In 1923, a small factory was set up at the Borneo Wharf of the Harbourfront district to manufacture ice cream under the Paradise brand.[7] 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. Cold Storage later shifted from counter-service to self-service, introducing the supermarket to Singapore.

Tropical dairy farm

In 1937, Cold Storage founded the world's first tropical dairy farm at the Bukit Timah district of Singapore, which aimed to produce fresh pasteurised milk. This farm, then known as the Singapore Dairy Farm, was situated inside what is now the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. It kept as many as 800 cows. Pasteurised milk produced at the farm was packaged in pyramid-shaped cartons and sold under the brand Magnolia.[8][9][10] By 1974, the farm was planned to be redeveloped into a residential area.[11]

Cold Storage is the Singapore's oldest established supermarket operator. It was the first supermarket in Singapore to receive the CaseTrust Mark introduced by the Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE) in 1998 which identifies companies that receive a high degree of consumer confidence. It was also the first supermarket in Singapore to receive MUIS certification for its supermarket operations at Causeway Point in Woodlands, thus providing Muslims with the assurance of Halal purchases.[12]

Recent years

In 1973, Cold Storage's Pasaraya Malaysia, a joint venture of Cold Storage's subsidiary Supermarkets Malaysia and "Malaysian interests" was responsible for the construction of Jaya Supermarket in Petaling Jaya, set to be completed in April 1974.[13]

In 1985, Cold Storage Malaysia opened its first Majik Market store in Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur, It operated under a franchise from Mumford Inc of Atlanta, USA, which complements its existing Jaya Supermarket chain but differ in concept and management.[14] Due to competition from 7-Eleven, whose Malaysian franchise was then operated by the Antah Holdings group, Cold Storage Malaysia phased out Majik Market as part of its streamlining process.[15]

Cold Storage Malaysia, along with Peremba, Gaya Timur and Jusco were responsible for the initial version of Jaya Jusco "superstores" in 1985, with three stores in Dayabumi, Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Subang Jaya.[14]

foundation	June 3, 1903 in Singapore‡R1R‡
type	Private (1903–1992) Subsidiary (1992–)
industry	Retail
area served	Asia-Pacific
location	21 Tampines North Drive 2 #03-01 Singapore 528765
products	Grocery Stores, No Frills Supermarkets
parent	DFI Retail Group (1992–2025) Macrovalue (2025–)

Cold Storage (supermarket)

History

Early years

Tropical dairy farm

Recent years

Brands

Private labels

Cold Storage Fresh and Mercató

Giant

Shop N Save

External links

References