18 Years Growing Together, SRC Shows Real Proof of Commitment to Promote Indonesian MSMEs to Class and Competitive

Photo: Special

JAKARTA - Entering the age of 18, the Sampoerna Retail Community (SRC) has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting the empowerment of MSMEs in Indonesia. For almost two decades, SRC has transformed from a simple mentoring program for grocery stores into the largest traditional retail movement in Indonesia that has made a real contribution to driving the national economy.

Currently, the SRC network has covered more than 250,000 grocery stores across Indonesia, supported by more than 6,300 SRC Partners, and connected through 10,000 SRC Neighborhoods. Its growth is also reflected in the results of the "Real Proof of SRC for Indonesia" Research from Kompas Gramedia (KG) Media 2026, which shows that the contribution of SRC store turnover reaches IDR 251 trillion per year, or equivalent to 9.5 percent of the national retail Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2025.

This figure increased by Rp15 trillion compared to the contribution of a turnover of Rp236 trillion per year in 2023. The research also showed that stores that joined SRC experienced an increase in turnover of up to 42 percent.

This growth continues consistently, with a 27.5 percent increase in store sales in 2023-2026 through the continued support of SRC. This achievement is also driven by digital transformation, which is continuously strengthened, where 98.8 percent of SRC stores have been digitized.

Not stopping there, as many as 46 percent of SRC stores have also managed to expand their business lines, ranging from digital products to payment services, thus strengthening customer loyalty and creating new sources of income.

At the community level, SRC stores also play a role as a distribution channel for local community MSMEs' products through the Local Corner initiative. This program continues to show a positive impact, with sales growth of 128 percent, from Rp5.65 trillion per year in 2023 to Rp12.9 trillion per year in 2026. This achievement further strengthens SRC's role in encouraging local economic growth in various regions in Indonesia.

The Regional Secretary of the DKI Jakarta Province, representing the Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta, Uus Keswanto, also appreciated SRC's contribution in strengthening the ecosystem of MSMEs and traditional retail in the capital. According to him, the existence of an empowerment ecosystem such as SRC has a strategic role in helping local MSMEs grow, increase competitiveness, and create a wide economic impact for the community.

"For 18 years, SRC has increasingly found its role in supporting the empowerment of retail MSMEs throughout the archipelago. In Jakarta alone, the number has reached around 40,000 stores, an extraordinary achievement. We hope that SRC continues to grow, not only as a network of grocery stores, but also to give birth to large Indonesian pride companies, such as Sampoerna today," he said, Thursday, May 21.

Acting Deputy for Industrial Coordination, Manpower, and Tourism, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Dida Gardera, assessed that SRC's 18-year journey reflected consistency in building an empowerment ecosystem for MSMEs that has a wide impact. He emphasized that the role of SRC is very relevant considering that MSMEs are the main pillars of the national economy as well as the foundation for inclusive growth.

"MSMEs are the backbone of the national economy. Of the approximately 64 million businesses in Indonesia, 99.7 percent are micro businesses. During the pandemic and crisis, MSMEs have proven to be the mainstay of the Indonesian economy. Therefore, SRC's steps to focus on helping MSMEs, especially grocery stores, are very appropriate to encourage small businesses to rise in class, expand employment, and improve business and human resources quality," he explained.

In line with this, the Director General of Domestic Trade, Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia, Iqbal Shoffan Shofwan, emphasized the importance of increasing the competitiveness of traditional retail in the midst of global dynamics through modernization, digitization, and strengthening distribution access so that MSMEs remain relevant.

"The contribution of the retail sector to economic growth reached 54.36 percent, including traditional retail such as grocery stores. Over the past 18 years, SRC has not only accelerated business, but also helped increase the scale of traditional stalls through store layout, financial management, to facilitate the distribution of goods from principals and distributors. The impact, grocery stores can get better prices, increase profit margins, even more than 40 percent have managed to develop their business lines," said Iqbal.

President Director of PT SRC Indonesia Sembilan (SRCIS), Romulus Sutanto, added that SRC's journey for 18 years is proof that the right and sustainable mentoring is able to encourage MSMEs to rise in class.

"Through ongoing assistance, SRC helps shop owners improve business management, ranging from arranging a cleaner, cleaner, and brighter store, to adopting technology such as AYO Toko and digital payments. This transformation makes their business more relevant, more stable, and able to grow in line with market needs," he said.

Romulus also emphasized that the strengthening of the SRC ecosystem continues through various innovations, sustainable programs, and cross-sector strategic collaborations. This commitment is realized through cooperation with a number of State-Owned Enterprise (BUMN) partners, such as Perum BULOG, BRI, Pos Indonesia, Telkomsel, Pertamina Patra Niaga, as well as various other partners.

Continuing this commitment, in the momentum of the 18th anniversary celebration, SRC again expanded its collaboration by signing a strategic cooperation with a number of state-owned entities, including Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) and BRI Insurance (BRINS). This collaboration is expected to further strengthen the national MSME ecosystem, especially in expanding market access, strengthening distribution, and presenting relevant and value-added services for grocery stores throughout Indonesia.

This synergy also reflects a joint commitment to support the agenda of empowering MSMEs and increasing community productivity, in line with national priorities in realizing Indonesia's economic growth.