SINGAPORE - FairPrice Group (FPG) is redoubling its efforts to keep daily essentials affordable for all NTUC union members and Link members with discounts worth more than $4.5 million at its supermarkets and selected Kopitiam outlets in May and June.

This is more than twice the $2 million worth of savings committed for May Day 2023.

For three weeks from April 25, weekly promotions will give union members a 50 per cent discount on selected essential items.

The first week’s deal, available from April 25 to 28, is for the 5kg Double FP Thai Hom Mali Rice. This will be sold at $6.95, instead of the usual $13.90.

Subsequent May Day deals will be announced closer to the launch dates of May 1 and May 9.

To celebrate May Day, FairPrice Foundation is also partnering Kopitiam to offer union members coffee and tea for 50 cents a cup at selected outlets throughout May and June.

Additionally, on May Day itself, children of union members will each receive a free cup of Milo with any purchase of the 50-cent promo beverage.

Starting the same day, union members who sign up for the FPG app for the first time will also be given a $5 e-voucher. This is in addition to the 10 per cent discount they get when paying at Kopitiam foodcourts with the app.

Mr Vipul Chawla, group chief executive officer of FPG, said: “FairPrice Group takes its social mission very seriously. This May Day, true to our roots, we are demonstrating this commitment by setting a benchmark for the prices of daily staples, ensuring they remain affordable and readily available.”

He added: “With core inflation rising to 3.6 per cent earlier this year and a low-growth economy, our customer data tells us that households are doing all they can to stretch their dollar. To make our customers’ daily lives just a little better, we have put together a blockbuster set of discounts on daily staples, from food to non-food, to provide savings of more than $4 million over the next few months.”

The May Day discounts on essential items are in addition to existing programmes to help customers save money and mitigate the rising cost of living.

From now till June 30, for example, the supermarket chain is offering a 1 percentage point discount on the goods and services tax (GST) on more than 500 daily essential items.

Pioneer or Merdeka Generation seniors, or Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) Blue cardholders, can enjoy special discounts on designated shopping days.

There are also house brands for more than 2,000 daily essentials, ranging from fresh goods to household items, which are 10 to 15 per cent cheaper than comparable products of popular brands.

Other programmes to help consumers save more are offered through its “Greater Value Every Day” initiative, which freezes the prices of 50 essential items, out of a pool of 500, each month.

FPG was established in 2019 through the consolidation of four entities comprising NTUC FairPrice, Kopitiam, NTUC Foodfare and NTUC Link. Since then, it has returned more than $900 million in discounts, rebates, and donations to members customers, and the community, it said.

In 2023, its evergreen value programmes provided savings of up to $15.2 million. This will continue into 2024 with the following discounts at supermarkets:

• Monday and Wednesday: Pioneer Generation (PG) – 3 per cent off
• Tuesday: Seniors aged 60 years old and above – 2 per cent off
• Wednesday: Merdeka Generation (MG) and PG – 3 per cent off
• Thursday: Chas Blue cardholders – 3 per cent off
• January to June 2024: 1 percentage point GST offset on 500 essential items

NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng said: “As we celebrate May Day, through social enterprises like FairPrice Group, NTUC helps Singaporeans stretch their dollar by offering deals like 50 per cent off daily essentials and 50 cents coffee or tea with free Milo during this special day.

“NTUC cares for our members, and we hope that these measures will go some way in helping Singaporean workers manage their family’s day-to-day expenses.”

Members of the public can visit ntuc.org.sg to sign up for their NTUC membership in which Link membership is automatic. They may also visit rewards.link.sg/apply/cards/ or the FairPrice Group app to apply for a Link Rewards membership.