Bangkok’s mobile grocery stores to ease living costs

The Ministry of Commerce remains steadfast in its mission to operate mobile grocery stores across Bangkok and its neighbouring provinces, to alleviate the cost of living. Goranij Nonejuie, the Deputy Director-General of the Internal Trade Department, confirmed the continuation of the mobile grocery store initiative, now entering its fifth year of operation.

The initiative will see deployment in over 100 locations throughout densely populated communities in Greater Bangkok.

The objective of this initiative is to help residents of Greater Bangkok save an estimated 120 million baht on an annual basis. As the new year holiday season approaches, during which many regular stores shut down for several days, the mobile grocery initiative will provide affordable products through mobile stores across Bangkok and its suburbs, easing the burden of living costs on the residents.

Goranij further elaborated that the department has partnered with the National Housing Authority to ensure the widest benefits for consumers in communities during the festive season. Every three days, the distribution points are adjusted in coordination with various communities that have requested the presence of mobile grocery stores.

“The mobile grocery stores offer 94 essential daily-use items, with the maximum price reduction reaching up to 55%.”

The products available include eggs, sugar, cooking oil, rice, chicken, pork, seasonings, and instant noodles. As for the provincial areas, Goranij gave assurance that the ministry will continue offering the Thong Fah (Blue Flag) outlets, which sell food at affordable prices.

The ministry boasts a network of 140,000 Thong Fah stores, which sell affordable consumer goods nationwide, with more than 600 stores being local outlets. These local outlets are crucial in offering low-priced products to small-scale retail stores in the ministry’s network, covering communities in every district across Thailand.

Beyond this, the network can cater to up to 14 million customers under the state welfare card scheme. Goranij also mentioned that the ministry has plans to expand the Thong Fah food outlets, which sell affordable food nationwide. There are currently over 5,000 Thong Fah food outlets across the country, offering budget-friendly menus priced between 25-30 baht per dish, reported Bangkok Post.

The ministry has also initiated a scheme linking the food outlets with suppliers of low-cost raw materials, reported Bangkok Post.