Anthony Salim, head of the Salim Group, is Indonesia’s third richest person, worth US$5.4 billion. Salim Group has diversified interests in the food and beverage industry (they own the infamous instant noodle brand Indomie), telecommunications, retail, and property.
Salim’s chain of convenience stores – Indomaret – can be found in every corner of the archipelago. The Salim family was one of the first to dabble in online business in Indonesia, back in the 1990s. But that endeavour failed. Indonesia was in the middle of political turmoil and an economic crisis. The Salim family then lost part of its fortune but managed to bounce back.
Since that failed attempt, the Salim Group has been quietly shaping Southeast Asia’s ecommerce landscape through its partnership with German internet company builder Rocket Internet.
It’s a complicated construct: Salim owns a 10 percent stake in Rocket through the Philippines Long Distance Telephone company (PLDT) – the Philippine telco is part of Salim’s empire.
Rocket Internet companies like Lazada and Zalora are major players in Southeast Asia’s ecommerce landscape.
Now, rumors say, Salim is ready to attempt another direct ecommerce play, together with South Korean retailer Lotte. According to a report on Pulsenews, we can expect a Salim-Lotte ecommerce joint venture to launch sometime mid-year.