The establishment of the Merah Putih Village/Subdistrict Cooperative initiated by the government does not pose a threat to Indomaret. Indomaret’s Director, Wiwiek Yusuf, emphasized that the cooperative could actually serve as a strategic partner in the distribution network of goods to the public.

"Merah Putih Cooperative was just introduced. Going forward, we are open to working with anyone," said Wiwiek during an interview after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with GP Ansor in Jakarta, Tuesday, July 22, 2025.

According to her, Indomaret does not view other entities as competitors as long as the primary goal is to ensure public access to goods. She also noted that the Merah Putih Cooperative initiative is part of a government program that should be supported with careful consideration.

"Since it’s a government program, we’re open to it. Of course, we’ll evaluate it based on business perspectives. We don’t want the cooperative to suffer losses either," she added.

She stressed that as long as the business potential looks promising and profitable, collaboration is certainly possible. "If we forecast the business will perform well, we’ll move forward," Wiwiek stated firmly.

When asked if Indomaret feels threatened by the cooperative’s presence, Wiwiek confidently responded, "Oh, not at all. Because we’re in the distribution business, and they also support distribution. Our main objective is to deliver products to the consumers, to the people."

She also pointed out that both Indomaret and the Merah Putih Cooperative share the same role in meeting public needs. In fact, according to the information she received, the cooperative is also expected to distribute various products, including pharmaceuticals.

"They’re distributing those items too. From what I know, there are medicines and various other goods, as Mr. Prabowo mentioned yesterday," she concluded.