Royal Selangor International Sdn Bhd (

doing business as A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...

Royal Selangor) is a Malaysian pewter manufacturer and retailer, the largest of its type in the world.

History

Founded in 1885 by Yong Koon () in his little shop called Ngeok Foh (Jade Peace), Yong Koon handcrafted pewter objects mainly for ceremonial use, such as joss stick holders,

incense Incense is an aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremonial reasons. It ...

burners and candle holders for altars of Chinese homes and temples. The pewter objects sold by Yong Koon were polished with "stone leaf" ('' Tetracera scandens''), a wild tropical leaf of a fine, abrasive nature. With the arrival of British colonials, the offering expanded to include tankards, ashtrays and tea services. The brand was then known as Royal Selangor Pewter. In the 1970s, the company started exporting, first to Singapore and Hong Kong and then to Australia. Towards the 1980s, the market expanded into Europe and later into Japan. In 1992, the company changed its name to Royal Selangor to reflect its endorsement from Sultan Salahuddin, the Sultan of Selangor, dropping 'pewter' from its company name as its product range had expanded to include items from other materials.

World's Largest Pewter Tankard

The world's largest pewter tankard, recognized by the ''

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

'', was made by Royal Selangor in 1985 to commemorate its centenary. Displayed at Royal Selangor headquarters in Setapak, it is 1.987 metres tall, weighs 1,557 kg and has a capacity of 2,796 litres. The giant tankard has travelled around the world to places such as Canada, Australia, Singapore and China.

Products

The company offers over a thousand

tableware Tableware items are the dishware and utensils used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. The term includes cutlery, glassware, serving dishes, serving utensils, and other items used for practical as well as decorative purposes. The ...

and gift items, from tankards and tea sets, to photo frames,

desk A desk or bureau is a piece of furniture with a flat table (furniture), table-style work surface used in a school, office, home or the like for academic, professional or domestic activities such as reading (activity), reading, writing, or using ...

accessories and wine accessories. Distributed worldwide from its base in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, the company has more than 40 shops worldwide. It exports to more than 20 countries, with retail outlets in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. Royal Selangor is found in stores such as

Harrods Harrods is a Listed building, Grade II listed luxury department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It was designed by C. W. Stephens for Charles Digby Harrod, and opened in 1905; it replaced the first store on the ground ...

and John Lewis in the United Kingdom, David Jones and Myer in Australia, Wako and

Mitsukoshi is an international Department stores in Japan, department store chain with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Its holding company, Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, is a member of the Mitsui, Mitsui Group. History It was founded in 1673 with the (sho ...

in Japan. Represented in five continents with eight offices worldwide, it is also represented by its website. In 1989 and 1991, Royal Selangor received the Design Plus award at the Frankfurt International Gift Fair. In 1997, Royal Selangor received the Gift of the Year Award in the licensed gifts category, from the Giftware Association of the United Kingdom.

Collaboration

Museum Collaborations *

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

* Victoria & Albert Museum Designer Collaborations * Erik Magnussen * Jarrod Lim * Freeman Lau * Viewport Studio * Nathan Yong

References

External links

{{commons category-inline 1885 establishments in British Malaya Companies based in Kuala Lumpur Manufacturing companies established in 1885 Kitchenware brands Luxury brands Manufacturing companies of Malaysia Malaysian brands Malaysian Royal Warrant holders Privately held companies of Malaysia