Our Values
Our History
1913 – 1933
A New Beginning
1913 – Tan Yang Juay comes to Singapore, where he helps local farmers till the soil and grow crops.
1923 – Tan returns to his hometown in the Chaozhou region of Guangzhou Province to bring his wife and two children back to Singapore, where they lease a plot of land in Geylang and grow vegetables.
1927 – Tan and his wife take their eldest son, Tan Ah Chye, back to their ancestral home to marry Choo Joo Tiew, Ah Chye’s cousin.
1928 – The Tans go into hog raising, beginning with a pair of piglets.
1929 – Tan Ah Chye’s eldest son, Tan Hong Yang, is born.
1933 – Tan Yang Juay dies at the age of 47. The three remaining households – Tan Ah Chye, his two younger brothers and their respective families – move in together.
1937 – 1984 Trials and Tribulations, the Tans Rise to the Top
1937 – The Tans move from Geylang to Changi.
1939 – The pig farm is named Tan Chye Huat Farm.
1962 – Extensive flooding in Changi forces the Tans to move back to Geylang. Pig population at the farm grows beyond 1,000.
1965 – The Singapore government announces the reclamation of a large area of land in Geylang for industrial development.
1966 – The Tans move to Ang Sar Lee.
1967 – Operations at the pig farm continue to expand, the head count surpassing 6,000.
1977 – The government reclaims Ang Sar Lee. The Tans move to Punggol and continue to expand their hog raising business.
1984 –The pig population climbs to 50,000, making Tan Chye Huat Farm the largest pig farm in Singapore.
1985 – 1991 The Retail Transition and the First Overseas Venture
1984 – The government announces the complete phase-out of pig farming in Singapore. The Tans cross over into the grocery business and open their first small-scale supermarket known as Prime Supermarket. The first Prime Supermarket was set up at Blk 803, King George Road.
1985 – The Tans open another four supermarkets. (They currently own and operate 24 supermarkets)
1986 – The Tans vote for its corporate leadership. Tan Hong Khoon and Tan Hong Chiew are elected as president and vice president.
1987 – The Tans open a tropical orchid nursery in Malaysia.
1991 – The nursery expands, becoming the world’s second-largest exporter of tropical orchids.
1993 – 2013 China, The New Chapter
1993 – Tan Hong Khoon goes to Shanghai and acquires Sun Island Golf & Hot Spring Resort.
1995 – Zhongxin Bridge connects Sun Island to the mainland.
1996 – Official opening of the Shanghai SUN Island Golf Club. The Shanghai Singapore International School is established on Sun Island with an inaugural class of 17. Zhongxin Agriculture Ltd (Mahota Farm) is set up on Chongming Island.
1997 – Sun Island Hot Spring Resort opens for business, and is named one of the ten best recreational hotspots in Shanghai. The lighthouse on the island is listed as a cultural heritage.
1998 – Shanghai Prime Real Estate Development Co. Ltd is established.
2002 – Sun Island golf courses and resorts open in Kunshan, Suzhou, Nanjing and Yangzhou.
2007 – Recovering from a heart attack, Tan Hong Khoon lays out a ten-year management plan.
2009 – Prime Group International establishes its own corporate culture.
2010 – The first annual Mahota Symposium is held at Shanghai Sun Island.
2012 – The Chongming Mahota Farm opens to the public. The premiere issue of The Mahota Quarterly is released. The Mahota flagship store opens in downtown Shanghai.
2013 – Current Coming Full Circle
2013 – Mahota Vineyard Penglai enjoys its first grapes harvest and Mahota Winery makes its foray into organic winemaking with the Estate’s First Pick.
2014 – Mahota Farm Shanghai obtains organic certification from Organic Food Development and Certification Centre of China (OFDC), a member of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM). Mahota Health Management Centre is set up on Shanghai Sun Island, signifying the completion of the first prototype of an integrated township model – Mahota Town.
2015 – In a bid to widen its sourcing markets, Prime Group International expands into Japan and Australia, extending its network of global sourcing and trading offices.
2016 – Mahota Commune is set up at 809 French Road Singapore, a few blocks away from 803 King George Road Prime Supermarket. PGI is proud to begin a new chapter at the same location where it launched its retail business more than 30 years ago.
2018 – Prime Group begins sea farming business in Singapore via Prime Aquaculture Pte Ltd. The sea farms are located at the eastern coast of Pulau Tekong and still expanding. It will develop a new local fresh aquaculture supply chain from Singapore sea to supermarket.
2019 – Three Prime Food & Grocer outlets open in Buangkok Square, Yishun Blossom Spring and Century Square. Prime Food & Grocer provides a wider range of products than conventional Prime Supermarkets.