Back on expansion mode

Bruneian home improvement retailer Good Home is building its first outlet in four years in a sign that it is now back on expansion mode. The company will be taking up space in a shophouse located in the posh Jerudong area for its third location, which is set to open its doors to the public by 2023.
Jerudong is the stomping ground of Brunei's elite and hosts a number of landmarks, including The Empire Brunei, a seven-star hotel which counts a Jack Nicklaus championship golf course, a cinema, and a resort among its amenities; Jerudong Park Medical Centre, the country's premier hospital which is affiliated with Singapore's Gleneagles Hospital; and Jerudong Park, once the biggest amusement park in Southeast Asia and the venue for government-sponsored free concerts by celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. Jerudong International School, the most prestigious primary and secondary educational institution in the sultanate, is also in the area.
The Jerudong store will be the first outlet of Good Home that is not based in a mall. It currently has stores in Aman Hills Shopping Centre and The Walk Beribi Central. An outlet at Times Square - the first and smallest- was shuttered last year. "Our third branch will occupy three storeys and seven units of the shophouse. The ground floor and the first floor will be the showroom and the third floor will be the store and office," David Lau, general manager of Good Home operator Townview Sdn Bhd disclosed. The showroom will take up 1 486 m².
Good Home is the home improvement and DIY arm of Goldmyne Hardware Sdn Bhd, one of the established hardware and roofing materials suppliers in the sultanate.
The company had been set to open two branches between 2018 and 2020 but slowed down on its plans. The last time it opened a store was in 2019, when the Beribi outlet was launched.
However, the pandemic has been a boon for Good Home as border closures have compelled Bruneians to buy from local establishments instead of crossing to Malaysia for their shopping. Despite a slow start in early 2020, when Good Home saw sales drop 30 per cent after the first Covid-19 cases were reported in the country, sales have now grown 40 per cent from pre-Covid levels.
Good Home has expanded its furniture, electrical and tile lines but keeps its core business in general hardware and household. Lau said that while more people are buying locally, Good Home has faced challenges getting in new products in the price-sensitive and brand-conscious…