A gift of growth

BEFORE it became home to well-known festive gifting and wellness brands like Jin Ye Ye, Jynns and Lo Hong Ka, JYY Group began 18 years ago as a small kiosk selling Chinese New Year cookies.

Back in 2008, the company’s founder and executive chairman Alann Tan had returned from New Zealand to help support his family financially after his father became seriously ill.

As he and his brother ventured into the festive goods space, they began to notice a gap in the market for seasonal gifting options.

“At the time, you’d most commonly find pyramid-shaped confectionery and snack-filled hampers,” Tan recalls.

“There were also premium hampers with health-focused products, but not many affordable options. We saw an opportunity to pivot into that segment.”

The business moved towards specialising in modern gift hampers stocked with high-quality, wellness-based goods.

Its festive hamper brand, Jin Ye Ye, today operates 200 seasonal sales points across Malaysia annually.

Along the way, Jynns, its health, tonic and wellness product brand, was established and now runs 20 retail stores nationwide.

According to Tan, the pandemic in 2020 marked a key turning point for the business, as consumer demand shifted significantly towards health-driven, immunity boosting products.

In response, it launched its premium edible bird’s nest product line, Youthfinity, the success of which propelled Jynns into a daily wellness brand among local health-minded consumers.

The year 2022 marked another key milestone, with JYY’s acquisition and integration of heritage bird’s nest brand Lo Hong Ka and its manufacturing facility, forming a comprehensive multi-brand wellness ecosystem.

“Acquiring Lo Hong Ka allows us to gain 100% control over the premium raw material and production processes, enhancing consistency of quality. Additionally, it helps us streamline research and development, enabling smoother product rolll outs for us,” he shares.

Currently, the group is in the middle of what Tan calls its third phase, which revolves around bringing high-quality, lesser-known Malaysian-sourced products to the global stage through its MyTreasure platform.

Developed in partnership with Tourism Malaysia, MyTreasure opened its first retail space at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 on June 18, 2026, providing travellers a convenient hub offering a wide range of souvenir and gifting options.

While the business has expanded significantly beyond its original festive gifting roots, the founder notes that its seasonal sales segment remains a crucial growth engine, particularly for customer acquisition.

“It is also a reliable pillar in terms of returning customers, as people will continue to celebrate these occasions year after year,” he says.

Concurrently, Jynns’ everyday wellness products, which are embedded into the festive hampers, serve as a funnel to convert new buyers and gift recipients into long-term customers. Meanwhile, the MyTreasure brand provides a channel for reaching international consumers through travel retail.

“I think all of our brands have great potential and each one has a different positioning and customer segment. The challenge for us is leveraging each of their strengths and integrating them well so that they reinforce each other,” he shares.

Additionally, corporate gifting is another growing segment for the company. Tapping into its multi-brand network, gifting expertise and bulk-purchasing cost advantage, it is able to provide customised gift solutions for businesses at competitive prices.

With multiple engines driving its growth, JYY today boasts nine-figure revenue, with its point-of-sale channels reaching up to 1,000 during festive periods. The group also oversees the research, development and production of its health products, including bird’s nest, natural honey and collagen.

In terms of product development, Tan says the company’s approach is to focus on a few key hero categories, such as Musang King durians or Trigona stingless bee honey, before building an extended product “family” around each at different price points.

“The products we offer are based on four golden principles. They have to be natural, wellness-driven, authentic to Malaysians, and are thoughtfully made with heart. We aren’t rolling out products for the sake of it – we have to make sure each one has that wow-factor and is the best in its category.”

While JYY’s brands have a substantial eCommerce presence alongside their physical retail stores, offline channels remain crucial due to the nature of the business.

As consumers often gravitate towards the experiential elements of a store when shopping for edible wellness and gifting products, Tan says retail expansion continues to be a priority, with the next MyTreasure store set to open at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

The group is also focused on expanding its footprint through partnerships with pharmacy chains such as Caring Pharmacy and Watsons Malaysia.

In fact, 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the group. On top of its retail expansion, the company has announced the acquisition of 16.9 acres of industrial land in Semenyih, Selangor, which is set to become the Jynns Group Industrial Park and Logistics Hub.

“We see the Semenyih factory as the foundation for our next phase of growth over the next 10 to 20 years. It will allow us to centralise our operations under one roof, resulting in faster and more consistent service,” he says.

“At the same time, it offers additional room for future growth, with expanded manufacturing capacity for a potential move into upstream or downstream production.”

Looking beyond Malaysia, JYY sees opportunities for regional expansion across South-East Asia, with the aim of showcasing the best of Malaysian goods to an international audience.

Tan shares that the group’s strategic focus on travel consumers has equipped the team with valuable insights into consumer demand and needs in neighbouring markets like Indonesia and Thailand, fuelling its regional expansion plans.

“As a company that’s been in the gifting industry for 18 years, we believe we can leverage our expertise and capabilities in this space to transform Malaysia’s souvenir market, which is currently not as mature compared with other countries. We hope to play a role in elevating this industry.”