Oriental Kopi sales hold steady despite Bahasa Melayu menu boycott, HLIB says

Oriental Kopi Holdings Bhd faced public criticism after a social-media user pointed out that its menus lacked Bahasa Melayu translations, prompting boycott calls. Hong Leong Investment Bank, after a discussion on Oct 21, reported that customer footfall remained largely unchanged and sales stayed robust. The chain will introduce trilingual menus, with reprinting costs of roughly RM150,000, representing about 0.2% of HLIB's FY26 core earnings forecast.

HLIB projects FY26 core profit after tax of RM67 million, supported by a modest tax-rate improvement and stable raw-material prices. The bank also highlighted manageable cost impacts from a minimum-wage rise and continued expansion plans, including ten new outlets annually from FY27 and overseas openings in Jakarta and Mauritius.