We’ve taken you through the ins and outs of over 300 companies globally over the past two years. That’s almost one company every one or two working days – rain or shine.

But there is one company that we have not talked about all this time. And that is the company behind our radio station MONEY FM 89.3. Yes I am talking about the Singapore Press Holdings or more specifically what’s now known as SPH Media.

With its legacy tracing back to the years 1845 and 1923 with the first runs of the English daily The Straits Times and the predecessor of Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, SPH Media is a leading media group with operations in publishing print and digital newspapers, magazines and books.

The firm started out as SPH Limited in August 1984 where it brought together newspaper brands from two companies, namely The Straits Times Press Group (STP) and the Singapore News and Publications Limited (SNPL), as well as two other publishing, production and distribution companies called Times Publishing Bhd (TP) and Singapore Newspaper Services Pte Ltd (SNS).

At that point, the company published seven newspapers in three languages – The Straits Times, Berita Harian, The Business Times, Lianhe Zaobao, Lianhe Wanbao, Shin Min Daily News and the Singapore Monitor.

The mission is to be the trusted source of news on Singapore and Asia and to represent the communities that make up Singapore and to connect them to the world.

Over four decades have passed since and the business has now expanded to also own and operate radio stations and outdoor media, including MONEY FM 89.3.

SPH Limited also underwent a restructuring of the media business, with SPH Media taking over SPH Limited’s entire media related business and operating as a public company limited by guarantee.

But why are we speaking to SPH Media you might ask? Well, we want to find out how SPH Media is preparing for the future as media companies around the world transform their century old business models in a digital world.

We also want to talk about the rise in news consumption through social media platforms and what that means for traditional media. Also on the agenda – how the rise in social media usage changes the way mainstream media outlets create, promote and distribute their news stories.

On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Chan Yeng Kit, CEO, SPH Media.

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From a metal shop to an automotive giant – we’re going to go on an adventure today, to look at how carmaker Peugeot made history in the 21st century, and how it intends to charge ahead.

Founded in 1810 in the midst of the industrial revolution by Jean-Frederic and Jean-Pierre II Peugeot, the company came about when the Peugeot family transformed its hydraulic mill into a steel mill.

With the steel mill, various branches of the family started expanding into manufacturing to produce a wide range of products, all based on steel.

Think along the lines of tools, springs, umbrellas, whales, corset frames, watch pieces, bicycles and more.

Years went by, and then came a family member called Armand Peugeot who is crucial to the entire story.

As someone who was fascinated by engineering, Armand Peugeot came up with the first Peugeot-branded automotive vehicle in 1889, a steam-driven, non-commercialised 3-wheeler. That sowed the seeds for the modern day Peugeot.

In 2021, Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler Automobile merged to form Stellantis, becoming the world’s third largest automaker by vehicle sales. Today, Peugeot is said to offer the widest electric vehicle line-up of any European mainstream brand, covering all needs from urban cars to commercial vehicles.

But how has Peugeot’s positioning changed over the centuries, particularly post merger? Also – how is Peugeot as a brand doubling down on the electrification trend, especially with the discontinuation of its 508 model to make way for EVs?

On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Linda Jackson, (then) CEO, Peugeot.

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Additional Note:
Shortly after the Part 1 of the interview went out, Stellantis, the parent company of Peugeot, announced a series of changes to its top leadership, including at Peugeot.

As part of the changes, Alain Favey was announced as the new CEO of Peugeot, taking over from Linda (Jackson) who has retired after 20 years with the company.

It's been a privilege to speak with Linda in one of her last interviews with the media in her capacity at Peugeot, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavour.

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You’ll more or less notice the signage of this company if you drive along the Tampines Expressway towards the airport - rain or shine. Here’s another hint – it is located within the Tampines Retail Park along with Giant hypermart.

If you’ve guessed COURTS, then bingo, you’ve got it right. But have you ever wondered if COURTS is a Singapore or a Malaysian furniture chain or who actually owns COURTS these days? Well, we will bring you all the answers in this interview.

With roots as a furniture retailer from the UK, COURTS started operations in Singapore half a century ago in 1974 and has since expanded to 13 stores spanning over 464,000 square feet of retail space.

The firm expanded to Malaysia in 1987 and most recently ventured into the Indonesian market in 2014.

Once known as COURTS Asia Limited, the firm was previously listed on the mainboard of the Singapore Exchange in October 2012. That was until 2019, when Yokohama-based electrical appliance retailer Nojima Corporation bought over the company’s shares.

Today, COURTS is wholly owned by Nojima Corporation, which runs over 900 stores and has a market capitalisation of S$1.8 billion on revenues of S$6.6 billion. So how has the firm changed over the years with Nojima Corporation as its parent?

Meanwhile, COURTS is also an interesting company to look at because of its efforts to refresh its offerings to target the next generation of furniture shoppers.

For one thing, the firm had in 2019 opened its first internet-of-things store at Funan to better cater to smart home shoppers. It also opened the 189,000 square feet COURTS Nojima in 2022 to provide an experiential retail space for shoppers.

But how far has the firm’s moves captured the hearts of younger consumers and what are the key drivers of growth in the furniture industry as brick and mortar chains compete against online retailers?

On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Harry Higashiura, Group Chief Commercial Officer, Nojima APAC and Country CEO of Singapore and Malaysia, COURTS.

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