Return of major celebrations contributing to increase in sales
JOHOR BARU: The demand for Jalur Gemilang is on the rise, with the National Day coming in a month’s time.
Annie Chia, who is the managing director of a flag manufacturing factory here, said that the resumption of major celebrations such as the National Day parade and the upcoming Kembara Mahkota Johor royal expedition has also helped to boost sales of the product.
“We started receiving orders for the Jalur Gemilang as well as state flags at the end of June which is significantly earlier compared to last year when orders only started pouring in early August,” she said.
“For the National Day parade alone, we have made more than 50,000 flags of various sizes. We expect to see more orders in the weeks to come.
“The resumption of the Kembara Mahkota Johor, which was last held in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic, has also boosted sales of the Jalur Gemilang and the Johor flag.”
She added sales for the Jalur Gemilang was expected to be higher compared to last year, when some 100,000 flags were sold.
“We noticed that sales are a bit slow in states that are involved in the elections.
“However, we believe that they will still be placing orders for the flags but slightly later than other states,” she said.
Chia, who is also the president of the Johor Stationers and Booksellers Association, said that sales of the Sarawak flag, in particular, had increased significantly this year as the state hosts its grand Sarawak Day parade on July 22.
“This year the number of orders was significantly higher,” she said, adding that the company supplied more than 20,000 flags for Sarawak Day.
Chia said the Merdeka spirit seemed to have made a comeback this year after a few years of silence due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“People seem to be more excited to celebrate the National Day this year. Events related to the National Day are also being planned earlier and on a larger scale,” she said.
