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False claim of KK Mart store name change circulating

Published

April 3, 2024

Contributors

A photo circulating on social media claims to show a renovated storefront of a KK Mart - supposedly changed to L&M Mart - in an attempt to avoid being boycotted.

Faqcheck’s review of the photo found that the claims made about L&M Mart were false.

The image shows a storefront, with orange and green stripes above it. At the center is “L&M” in orange lettering. “SUPER MART” is written at the bottom right corner.

Searching for similar images online, Faqcheck found similar photos with different captions on multiple platforms garnering thousands of interactions and comments.

In interviews with China Press and Malaysiakini, an L&M Mart manager clarified that the store belonged to L&M Dynamic Enterprise, and is not affiliated with KK Super Mart Group whatsoever.

Screenshot from a Tiktok video by @zailani.harun with the same image, seemingly reposted from the Sayu Kampung Facebook post, again insinuating the change from the KK Mart branding to L&M.

This comes after calls to boycott the KK Mart convenience store chain by UMNO Youth Leader Dr Muhammad Akmal Saleh, following the sale of socks printed with the word “Allah” at one of its outlets in Petaling Jaya.

Founder of KK Super Mart Group, Datuk Seri K.K. Chai, has since issued an apology.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, the manager at L&M Mart said he would look to changing the design of the mart's logo to avoid any risk from the ongoing boycott. Other unaffiliated businesses such as KK Fresh Mart in Jitra, Kedah have also seen their business negatively impacted due to the calls for a nationwide KK Mart boycott.

KK Mart outlets have also been the target of vigilantes who have attacked them with petrol bombs across the country. Three such incidents have been reported, the the latest in taking place on 31 March, 2024 in Kuching, Sarawak.

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