NEW CONCEPT STORE: Chan (centre) with Liew (right) and Astro East Malaysia customer division regional manager Alison Lau cutting ribbons to launch the Astro Lifestyle Centre.
KUCHING: Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd (Astro) launched its first Astro Lifestyle Centre in East Malaysia at the Boulevard Shopping Mall here yesterday.
The centre is the third out of five flagship Astro Lifestyle Centres the broadcasting company is planning to open by the end of this year.
Kuching South Mayor Dato James Chan officiated at the launch while Astro was represented by chief commercial officer Liew Swee Lin.
The newly opened Astro Lifestyle Centre marks Astro’s continuous commitment in building a deeper engagement with its customers while upholding its commitment to offer choice, value and quality programmes, Liew said.
Astro is looking to make its presence stronger in the city as it has been positioned as an economic centre for East Malaysia, she added.
“We serve about 45 per cent of the households in Sabah and Sarawak today. We have every intention to serve 60 to 80 per cent of Sarawakian and Sabahan households, and one way of doing that is by coming closer to the community and having a concept store where people can touch, feel and interact with us,” she noted.
The Astro Lifestyle Centre, according to Liew, provided the next generation of entertainment services.
“This is another way for us to bring the best of entertainment to a place where you work, play or visit everyday of the week.
“Our lifestyle centre is committed to bringing you the best on screen experience because our customers and those that are new to Astro can walk into our store and touch/feel and experience what best entertainment feels like. They can play with the next generation of services because we have an experimental zone where they can experiment with the products,” she elaborated.
Astro, which currently has 3.5 million subscribers out of which 17 per cent are from Sarawak, is looking to grow its customer base in Sabah and Sarawak by five to 10 per cent, driven also by Astro’s new affordable packages that cater to all its viewers’ preferences.
“Astro provides customers with over 20 packages to choose from to suit their viewing needs and budget. From NJOI, our subscription-free multi-channel TV with prepaid options, Family Pack, our entry-level pay-TV package at monthly fee of RM37.95, value packs, the best of vernacular channels at RM75 to Superpack, the best of Astro services and content from RM125,” Liew added.
Meanwhile, in conjunction with the opening of the centre, a two-day carnival is organised where 30 orphans from The Salvation Army Kuching Boys Home and Kuching Lifecare Centre were invited.
The children and shoppers were also entertained by live acts from this year’s Astro Star Quest champion, Ester Thain, Finn & Jake and street magicians.