It all began way back in 1961, when Suiwah staked its presence as a general merchant in Air Itam, Penang to serve the neighbourhood and meet their daily needs for groceries, supplies and more. This was when the Sunshine brand was born under the Suiwah Group’s retail business division. Growing from its humble origins, the Group as well as the Sunshine brand has expanded in scale, standard and reputation to become a trusted and preferred business entity in Penang.

From the beginning, the Group was clear in its vision and commitment to its customers and rolled out a brand promise that resonated with the people – By Malaysians, for Malaysians. The brand promise was a reflection of one of the Group’s core value, “no matter where life takes you, don’t forget where you came from”. This value has also motivated the Group to constantly give back to the society in different forms of philanthropy. Over the years, as the Group grew and expanded so did its vision, and a new direction was clearly mapped out with the current brand promise of ‘Great Stores, Great Choices. As the Group lived out its brand promise, it won not only the respect and loyalty of customers but also multiple accolades including the prestigious Fair Price Shop Award.

On top of it all, one vision that the Group has pursued is in the development of Ayer Itam. With Sunshine Central, the Group is expanding the possibilities beyond expectations in small, big, strategic and even nostalgic ways. These include bringing back a cinema to Ayer Itam through GSC (Golden Screen Cinemas), creating higher grade employment and business opportunities, as well as introducing a brand new work and entertainment environment and experiential shopping to the community.