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The Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) programme is allegedly hurting convenience stores that are not participating in the initiative, as consumers turn to other retailers to purchase essential goods using government aid.

Emart24 Holdings Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Vuitton Pang, who oversees the 24-hour convenience store chain with 110 outlets across Malaysia, said the company had experienced a significant decline in sales and customer traffic following the expansion of SARA.

“Since SARA expanded, our sales of everyday essentials have dropped by more than 25% and customer footfall down 20%,” he said in a video uploaded to Facebook.