Earlier this week, Tesco Malaysia announced that they are changing their name to Lotuss Stores (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

The news came as a shock to many, especially to those who grew up going to Tesco supermarkets as they had to bid goodbye to another childhood memory.

A lot of people were amused by the new name as it has an additional ‘s’ at the back, as if you were hissing when saying it out loud.
Posted by Tesco Malaysia on Monday, 15 February 2021

So, who is Lotuss and what do they have to offer that Tesco didn't?

We did a little research about who Lotuss Stores are and we got in touch with an insider to provide us with some info that’ll help clear the confusion.

Lotussss Who?

They decided to drop Tesco.
A quick Google would lead you to photos of the Lotuss Stores in Thailand, which strangely enough, has an apostrophe in its name – Lotus’s.

According to Nikkei Asia, Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group) announced on Tuesday (16 February) that it is changing the name of its Tesco stores in Thailand and Malaysia to Lotus's.

This is the same company that owns 7-Eleven and Makro stores throughout Thailand.

All previous Tesco chains in our neighbouring country had the name Tesco Lotus.

The name change will also effect other Tesco stores in Southeast Asia.

The first revamped store in Bangkok opened for testing purposes on Monday (15 February).

Has The Rebranding Started?

It's happening...
For now, you may see that the signboards at the supermarket chain are still Tesco but it is expected that it would gradually change over the months.

But a few Malaysians who had been to the store recently noticed that they have put up signs of its new name, and even the receipt shows Lotuss Stores (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

Since scanning MySejahtera has also become the new norm for us, you will also see that upon scanning, you are entering the premise of Lotus’s Stores.

It really is...
The rebranding exercise is expected be completed by the end of 2021 so you'll soon see Lotuss plastic bags, trolleys, uniforms, packaging etc.

What Will Happen To My Favourite Tesco-Brand Products?

Looks appetising...
According to an unnamed insider whom Rojak Daily spoke to, the store will no longer import Tesco products from the UK, including frozen food. They will be replaced with items from Thailand and rebranded to Lotuss.

Since we can also consider Thailand as a food haven just like Malaysia, customers can expect to get their hands on yummy products such as their famed Tom Yum Koong instant noodles.

YUMMY!
Quality wise, it is said that the products would be up to par to the British imports.

“There are still some products left that were imported from the UK, and certain items are expected to last until March,” the source told us.

So if you’re drooling over those lovely buttery chocolate biscuits, time to go and ‘borong’ them!

But for dairy products, let's hope that they will not change their manufacturer, since a lot of people enjoy them.

Several Twitter users have pointed out that Tesco Milk is actually produced by Farm Fresh Malaysia.

What Tesco products do you think you’ll miss soon?

RIP Tesco Malaysia (2002-2021).