verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . december 2013 learn how and when to remove this template message ntuc fairprice type supermarket co operative industry retail founded 1973 headquarters singapore key people bobby chin chairman 1 products alcoholic beverages bakery clothing dairy deli frozen foods general grocery general merchandise meat & poultry pharmacy produce seafood snacks parent ntuc website http www.fairprice.com.sg ntuc fairprice co operative chinese tamil ntuc fairprice malay syarikat koperasi ntuc fairprice is a supermarket chain based in singapore and the largest in the country . the company is a co operative of the national trades union congress or ntuc . the group has 100 supermarkets across the island with over 50 outlets of cheers convenience stores island wide . ntuc fairprice has partnered with exxonmobil to run several stations with a fairprice branding at the minimarts at their stations . the supermarket has a slogan known as singapore s very own . contents 1 history 1.1 fairprice xpress 1.2 fairprice xtra 1.3 fairprice finest 1.4 eco friendly 2 union 3 regional expansion 4 individual outlets 5 membership programmes 6 references 7 external links history edit the toa payoh hub branch ntuc fairprice supermarket before the makeover . ntuc fairprice was first established in 1973 as ntuc welcome supermarket in toa payoh to solve the rising oil and daily prices then due to inflation . then prime minister lee kuan yew opened the first supermarket at block 192 toa payoh lorong 4 and it was the first of its kind . 2 around the same time other unions such as the singapore industrial labour organisation and pioneer industries employees union also set up co operatives to run supermarkets . the two organisations later merged in the early 1980s to form the singapore employees co operative sec . in may 1983 due to competition ntuc welcome and sec merged to form a larger co operative which was known as ntuc fairprice co operative limited . the company started a central distribution system to change the way goods were delivered to stores to enhance efficiency . this was owned by another company but in 1998 fairprice took full ownership of the warehouse and distribution company . it was renamed grocery logistics of singapore gls . in 2003 fairprice opened a new 13 000 square metre fresh food distribution centre . the refrigerated distribution facility centralises the distributions of fresh and chilled products to all the outlets in the chain . it is the first supermarket retailer in singapore to build own and operate its own fresh food distribution centre . citation needed fairprice xpress edit an esso petrol station run by ntuc fairprice . it is operated by the company with a fairprice xpress store the station was the first to be converted to the new format . that same year fairprice tied up with oil company exxonmobil to open fairprice express and cheers convenience outlets at seven esso and mobil stations as a pilot project . the station will be run by ntuc fairprice co operative which sets the fuel prices and run the station s minimart . exxonmobil will supply the fuel and will sell its oil products inside the fairprice run stations . if this pilot project proves successful all stations will be converted to either fairprice express or cheers with the co operative taking over the management of each station . exxonmobil also announced that all the stations will be renamed esso by year end . 3 fairprice xtra edit fairprice s largest branch in singapore the fairprice xtra hypermarket at ang mo kio hub . on 28 december 2006 fairprice opened its largest branch in singapore the 7 150 square metre 77 000 square feet fairprice xtra hypermarket at ang mo kio hub . the new s 12 million outlet offers a wider range of goods than the typical fairprice supermarket and includes new lines like electronic products and fashion wear . 4 fairprice finest edit in august 2007 fairprice opened its upmarket outlet at bukit timah plaza named fairprice finest after five months of refurbishment . the move was to cater to the changing tastes of singaporeans who are increasingly well travelled . the 4 000 m 43 100 ft two storey outlet has an offering of products different from other fairprice stores and also features a swiss style delicatessen a wine cellar and a european bakery . fairprice has plans to open more finest outlets . 5 eco friendly edit in september 2009 fairprice stepped up its commitment to environmentally friendly practices by launching singapore s first eco friendly supermarket name city square mall . designed with the basic principle of reduce reuse and recycle in mind this pilot eco friendly fairprice supermarket measuring about 2 244 square metres is a showcase of the latest eco friendly solutions in grocery retailing . these include usage of recycled and biodegradable materials for store fixtures energy saving equipment and lighting green products and services as well as cutting edge green technology . energy saving features like led lighting t5 28 watts fluorescent tubes energy saving refrigeration units and motion sensor lighting control in office and staff areas help to reduce the energy consumption of fairprice s eco friendly store by about 30 per cent compared to using standard equipment and fittings . other green touches include the use of non toxic environment friendly paint for walls and columns ceiling boards and seats made from recycled materials like compressed board and mineral wood and the use of wooden pallets made from recycled wood waste . fixtures from other stores have also been reused and integrated into the overall design of the ntuc fairprice city square mall branch . the eco friendly supermarket will also use 100 % biodegradable shopping bags environmentally friendly alternatives to the usual plastic bags that are made from 40 per cent corn and yam starch and 60 per cent polypropylene . apart from this customers who bring their own reusable grocery bags not only get to use dedicated check out lanes but also enjoy rebates through the ongoing green rewards programme . since this programme was introduced in 2007 fairprice has saved more than 43 million plastic bags and given out more than 500 000 in rebates to customers and these practices are an eco friendly initiative which is in line with the strict international standards required by eco friendly approved www.ecofriendlyapproved.com and endorsed by oceans 5 www.oceans 5 . com . union edit employees of ntuc fairprice are represented by the food drinks and allied workers union fdawu an affiliate of the national trades union congress . regional expansion edit fairprice has ventured into the people s republic of china and vietnam to open supermarkets in various parts . it will be a joint venture with dbs private equity new hope group silver tie and taiwan s apex group . the venture will be known as nextmall and will provide merchandising management and logistics for a fee to nextmart which is a china incorporated hypermarket . it has opened seven hypermarkets in china with its first in shaoxing zhejiang . individual outlets edit cheers by fairprice this 24 hour convenience store chain run by ntuc fairprice was introduced in 1999 . it offers similar facilities to rival 7 eleven . cheers can also be found at selected exxonmobil stations around the island in which ntuc fairprice co operative runs the station instead of exxonmobil itself . fairprice express a concept which can be found only at exxonmobil stations it is larger than cheers and sells things like fresh produce meat and seafood . it also sells more products meeting daily needs than a cheers convenience store . fairprice finest this is a separate store offering up market food supplies . it was officially opened in september 2007 and also it merged the former liberty market . stores include bedok mall waterway point century square jurong point and seletar mall . 6 fairprice xtra a hypermarket chain which combines a normal supermarket and the fairprice homemart in one store . it sells items such as electronics clothing and household merchandise in addition to the regular supermarket items and also it merged the former fairprice homemart together with former carrefour stuffs . stores include amk hub jurong point ue bizhub east kallang wave jem and nex . 7 warehouse club it is a concept that is modelled through costco and it is only available through membership . it has a lot of bulk purchases and also distributes former carrefour stuff . it is also made in packs of even numbers . membership programmes edit every year fairprice offers ntuc union members ntuc cardholders and fairprice shareholders dividends along with cash back rebates for all purchases made at fairprice supermarkets island wide including fairprice xtra fairprice homemart fairprice finest and fairprice express excluding cheers outlets . such payout rates are subject to approval at annual general meetings typically in the month of august . in 2007 fairprice declared rebates amounting to 4 % of purchases of up to s 6 000 made in the last financial year as well as a dividend of 5 % and special dividend of 3 % . 8 ntuc plus cardholders union plus cardholders non union are entitled to 2 linkpoints for every s 1 spent for a minimum spending of s 20 in receipts issued on the same day under the plus programme by ntuc link . in collaboration with ocbc bank fairprice launched its fairprice plus membership programme in april 2007 offering banking solutions and promotions at all fairprice supermarkets islandwide for all supermarket customers . 9 for a minimum transaction of s 10 visa payment is now accepted at all fairprice supermarkets for the fairprice plus card and the ntuc plus card previously known as the ntuc ocbc visa card for ntuc union members . references edit ng ser miang steps down as ntuc fairprice chairman . channel newsasia . retrieved 21 july 2014 . shapudin naqiyah 2013 back at the first store after 35 years the new paper 27 july . p. 6 mobil stations making way for esso under rebranding . channel newsasia . 18 april 2006 . fairprice hypermarket opens its doors the business times 28 december 2006 nur dianah suhaimi 19 august 2007 . fancy exotic cheeses live oysters try fairprice . the sunday times . fairprice finest . retrieved 31 july 2014 . fairprice xtra . retrieved 31 july 2014 . fairprice rebates 4 september 2007 . ntuc union membership core benefits . ntuc . fairprice plus 18 april 2007 . fairprice & ocbc bank introduce the first fairprice plus banking product offered exclusively at fairprice supermarkets pdf . ocbc bank . external links edit official website v t e supermarkets in singapore convenience stores 7 eleven cheers by fairprice fairprice xpress hypermarkets fairprice xtra giant sheng siong supermarkets cold storage fairprice finest fairprice supermarkets market place prime sheng siong defunct supermarkets shop n save v t e gastronomy in singapore main articles sorted by alphabet by types of restaurant caf s and coffee shop fast food restaurant food court hawker centre restaurants specialty food shops fine dining vegetarian and vegan by types of grocery shops convenience store shopping mall supermarket by lists local authority types of restaurants caf s and coffee shop coffee shop d lifrance dunkin donuts illy julius meinl killiney kopitiam kopi tiam massimo zanetti mccaf n.y.d.c. oldtown white coffee o coffee club pacific coffee company paul starbucks the coffee bean & tea leaf trung nguy n ya kun kaya toast fast food restaurant 4 fingers burger king kfc mcdonalds mos burger popeyes louisiana kitchen subway food courts equinox complex food court food republic hawker centre east coast seafood centre food hall hawker centre mamak stall newton food centre tekka centre telok ayer market restaurant chili s crystal jade culinary concept holdings eighteen