Today, millions of Malaysians walk into FamilyMart Malaysia for coffee, onigiri, Sofuto ice cream, hot meals, desserts, and quick café-style dining experiences.
But few realise that behind FamilyMart Malaysia is the remarkable story of a man who once grew up in extreme poverty and nearly lost the chance to continue school because his family simply could not afford it.
That man is Dr Chia Song Kun, the founder and executive chairman of QL Resources Bhd.
Today, QL Resources has grown into a company worth more than RM12 billion in market capitalisation. According to Forbes, the Chia family’s estimated wealth reached around US$2.1 billion (approximately RM9.9 billion) in 2026.
But the story behind FamilyMart Malaysia started long before convenience stores, Japanese desserts, or billion-ringgit valuations.
It started in a small fishing village in Selangor.
Growing Up Poor Before Building FamilyMart Malaysia
Dr Chia was born into a poor fisherman’s family in Sungai Burong, Selangor. Life was extremely difficult, and hunger was something the family experienced regularly.
Most of his brothers left school at a young age to become fishermen and help support the family financially.
At just 11 years old, Dr Chia nearly had to leave school as well and follow the same path to become a fisherman.
However, his school headmaster saw exceptional academic potential in him and personally pleaded with his father to allow him to continue his education.
His siblings later worked together to financially support his studies, a sacrifice that would eventually transform the future of the entire family.
Dr Chia later graduated from Universiti Malaya with a first-class honours degree in Mathematics before becoming a lecturer at Institut Teknologi Mara, now known as UiTM.
He spent around a decade teaching mathematics before entrepreneurship changed his life forever.
The Business That Started With Seashells
Long before QL Resources became a billion-ringgit corporation and long before FamilyMart Malaysia entered the local retail market, the family business began with something incredibly simple.
Seashells.
In the 1970s, Dr Chia and his brothers collected seashells from muddy coastal areas and processed them into calcium feed for poultry farms. The small family venture was known as Chia Brother Oyster Meal Co.
The work was physically exhausting.
There were no proper roads leading to the beach, and transporting the shells required enormous effort using primitive methods.
Their breakthrough finally came when a Singapore buyer agreed to purchase most of their shell supply.
The profits allowed the family to build a simple road using coconut trunks, making transportation easier and helping the business expand further.
Turning QL Resources Into an Asian Agro-Food Giant
In 1987, Dr Chia officially founded QL Resources as a small-scale distribution network for animal feed raw materials.
Over time, the company transformed into one of Southeast Asia’s largest agro-food corporations.
Today, QL Resources operates across marine products, surimi manufacturing, egg production, livestock farming, feed manufacturing, palm oil cultivation, renewable energy, and convenience retail.
The company became one of Southeast Asia’s leading surimi producers and one of Asia’s biggest egg producers, exporting products to countries including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Spain, Portugal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and North America.
But one of QL Resources’ biggest transformations came much later through FamilyMart Malaysia.
How FamilyMart Malaysia Changed Malaysia’s Convenience Store Industry
In 2016, QL Resources entered the convenience store industry after securing the exclusive master franchise rights for FamilyMart Malaysia from Japan’s FamilyMart Co Ltd.
At the time, many questioned whether FamilyMart Malaysia could survive against established players like 7-Eleven, MyNews, KK Mart, and 99 Speedmart.
But QL saw something others did not.
Unlike traditional convenience stores at the time, FamilyMart Malaysia focused heavily on fresh meals, café-style experiences, and ready-to-eat food concepts.
Consumers no longer visited convenience stores only for quick purchases.
Instead, FamilyMart Malaysia became a place for meals, desserts, coffee breaks, and casual hangouts.
The concept became especially popular among younger urban Malaysians and gradually reshaped Malaysia’s convenience store industry.
FamilyMart Malaysia Is Now a Billion-Ringgit Business
The expansion of FamilyMart Malaysia never stopped.
As of FY2025, the business operated 445 outlets nationwide, including 215 halal-certified FamiCafes.
The convenience retail division generated approximately RM1.21 billion in revenue, while profit before tax reached around RM62.26 million.
More recently, QL Resources revealed that FamilyMart Malaysia is targeting around 600 outlets nationwide by FY2027.
What began as a bold experiment in convenience retail has now become one of Malaysia’s most recognisable retail brands.
“Execution Is More Important Than Ideas”
One of Dr Chia’s most famous business philosophies is his belief that execution matters more than ideas.
He once shared that even an average idea, when executed properly, can become a successful business.
That mindset helped QL Resources grow steadily over decades instead of chasing short-term hype.
Innovation, trust, teamwork, and long-term thinking became deeply embedded within the company culture. In fact, the name “QL” reportedly comes from the Mandarin phrase “quán lì”, meaning “everybody benefits”.
Dr Chia also once said: “I believe if you work hard, work smart, use technology wisely, open up markets and create an advantage for yourself, you can compete.”
A Billionaire Who Still Remembers His Struggles
Despite the immense success and wealth, Dr Chia has consistently emphasised humility and remembering where the family came from.
“No matter what we achieve, we will strive to remain humble and down-to-earth, remembering where we came from and our struggle to get here,” he once shared.
From harvesting seashells in muddy coastal villages to building a company worth over RM12 billion, the rise of Dr Chia Song Kun is far more than just another business success story.
It is a reminder that persistence, execution, family support, and long-term thinking can completely transform a family’s future.
Sources: 1| 2| 3| 4| 5
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