Hanoi (VNA) – The AEON Financial Service (AFS) Co. Ltd., the ownerof Japan’s AEON retail chain, wants to expand its financial services in Vietnamthrough merge and acquisition activities, said AFS Chairman Masaki Suzuki.
In a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue in Hanoi on February 25,the AFS leader pledged long-term investment in Vietnam to contribute to the country’sconsumer finance market.
He said that AEON considers Vietnam a key investment destination in the region withthe group planning to pour some 5 billion USD into shopping malls around thecountry, raising the total to 30 malls and creating jobs for 50,000 locallabourers.
The host, for his part, applauded the firm’s strategy to expand investment inVietnam, saying that besides bolstering exports, the Vietnamese Government isalso interested in developing the domestic retail market.
The total retail sales of goods and services in Vietnam in 2018 rose 12 percentyear-on-year, he said, adding that the AEON shopping mall model has been widelypreferred by Vietnamese consumers thanks to its integration of business activitiesand many other services.
He also lauded AEON for bringing Vietnamese products to its shelves andshipping local goods to AEON chains worldwide, and described it as a sustainabledevelopment strategy that AEON should pay more attention to.
Hue voiced his support for AEON’s plans to expand investment in the financialsector in line with market regulations, helping to improve the capacity andbusiness efficiency of both AEON itself and payment methods in Vietnam.–VNA