If you’ve ever strummed a guitar or picked up a pair of drumsticks, you’ve probably stepped into a Swee Lee outlet at some point.
Founded in 1946, the homegrown musical instrument distributor and retailer has long been the go-to store for musicians in the region. Whether you wanted guitars, amps, keyboards, microphones, or stands, the store had them all.
At its helm is Kuok Meng Ru, the son of palm oil billionaire Kuok Khoon Hong and grand-nephew of Malaysia’s richest man, Robert Kuok, who acquired the business when he was just 23.
This year marks 12 years since Meng Ru took the helm at Swee Lee—and in that time, he’s managed to expand the brand into Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, even establishing an online presence in China.
He saw a unique opportunity in the musical instrument industry
Meng Ru has always loved music since childhood, but his “real passion” kicked in when he studied abroad. He left Singapore to study in the UK when he was just 10 years old, spending his teenage years and young adulthood in the country.
I learned piano and violin as a child, but it was during my time in high school that I was introduced to bands like Radiohead and The Strokes by friends. The way my schoolmates viewed music was different too, and I began to see it not just as an interest but as something central to my life and eventually my career.
Kuok Meng Ru
Despite graduating from Cambridge University with a degree in mathematics, Meng Ru never strayed far from music. In London, he continued to play music while working as a math teacher.
“It was the best of both worlds—doing something I had spent many years studying, but also dedicating time to something I truly enjoyed,” he said in an interview with CNA back in 2022.
When he returned to Singapore, however, Meng Ru noticed that the local music scene at the time significantly trailed behind the UK’s.
I saw a unique opportunity in the musical instrument industry where online retail and the consumer experience weren’t as developed in Southeast Asia as they were in the UK, where many businesses were already tapping into it.
Kuok Meng Ru
Taking the reins at Swee Lee in 2012, Meng Ru believed that he could bring a “fresh perspective” to the brand and help evolve its business model.
“[Swee Lee] was a well-established, but very traditional, distributor of musical instruments,” he explained, as it primarily focused on in-store operations at the time.
With e-commerce just beginning to take shape in Singapore and Southeast Asia, Meng Ru sensed a chance to get ahead. “Given the nascency of online retail in Southeast Asia at the time, I felt that this was an area we could get a head start on over our competition,” he shared.
To modernise the brand, he focused on building “a strong direct-to-consumer online presence” and creating an “integrated omnichannel retail experience” for Swee Lee’s customers.
“This required significant investment to enhance our digital capabilities and extend our reach across Southeast Asia,” he added, though he did not disclose specific figures.
“I was lucky to have the freedom to pursue my own passions”
Given his family’s wealth, wouldn’t it have been easier for Meng Ru to join the family business instead of forging his own entrepreneurial path?
While he didn’t discuss his family in detail for this interview, Meng Ru acknowledged that he was fortunate to have the support to follow his passions.
I was lucky to have the freedom and encouragement to pursue my own passions, particularly with the strong advice that if you weren’t willing or interested enough to think about something 24/7, there was very little chance that you could be successful in your choice of career.
Kuok Meng Ru
Another valuable piece of advice he had received was to not only constantly assess whether you have competitive advantages but also ensure that you’re capitalising on them if you do.
“Beyond [being] able to choose my own path, having a wide network of advisors and resources from family and beyond was definitely a luxury I’ve considered myself lucky to be able to capitalise on,” he shared. “And in my opinion, it would be incredibly foolish and self-sabotaging not to do so.”
When asked if he faced any scepticism or setbacks considering his connections and young age when he acquired Swee Lee, Meng Ru responded “Regardless of background or age, any new owner of a business has a lot to prove.”
“The most important thing for me in the first few months, both internally and externally, was to focus on earning the respect of my colleagues and business partners through action, not words.”
“For us, it’s about building community”
Today, Swee Lee operates a total of 10 retail stores across Southeast Asia: two in Singapore, two in Vietnam, two in Indonesia, and four in Malaysia.
Beyond expanding its e-commerce presence, Meng Ru has also doubled down on transforming Swee Lee into a more inclusive and welcoming space. “Customers nowadays aren’t just looking for a physical instrument to buy; they’re looking for an experience,” he said.
When we reimagined Swee Lee, the goal was to make it more inclusive. If someone isn’t into guitars, there’s still something for them at Swee Lee.
They can come in and buy headphones or vinyl or just sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend. We don’t chase anyone out because, for us, it’s about building a community.
Kuok Meng Ru
The launch of Swee Lee’s new Clarke Quay store in April, according to Meng Ru, represents a “new chapter” in the brand’s consumer engagement journey—about half of the space is dedicated to community and experiential spaces, including a cafe.
The store regularly hosts events and actively supports local artists by providing a platform for them to perform and connect with their audience.
Building a music empire
Swee Lee is a major business in its own right, but Meng Ru’s vision for the music industry extends far beyond the retail scene.
The brand is a subsidiary of Vista Musical Instruments, which is operated by Caldecott Music Group (CMG)—a company established by Meng Ru as part of an initiative to create a larger, more integrated presence in the music and lifestyle sectors.
Other companies under the CMG umbrella include the mobile-first music-making platform BandLab, which has surpassed 100 million registered users globally, and the music media group NME Networks.
Over the past 18 months, Meng Ru shared that Swee Lee has “expanded significantly” through Vista Musical Instruments and will continue exploring new markets.
“In the short term, we aim to strengthen our presence in key Southeast Asian markets while refining our Clarke Quay store as a model for experiential retail,” he shared.
Similarly, he plans to pursue further market entry across other divisions within Caldecott Music Group while scaling its digital platforms, such as BandLab.
But Meng Ru does not define success by these expansions alone—for him, success is about creating something that lasts.
“It’s about building brands and institutions that can thrive independently well into the future, continuing long after a specific owner, leader, or team.”
Swee Lee was around before many of us on the team were born. If we do our jobs well and are lucky enough, it’ll continue to be around long after we’re gone. To me, that would truly be the mark of success.
Kuok Meng Ru
- Learn more about Swee Lee here and Caldecott Music Group here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about Singaporean startups here.
Featured Image Credit: Caldecott Music Group
