Festive Season Checklist for Malaysian Small Businesses: Deepavali to Chinese New Year 2027

From early November to mid-February, Malaysian businesses run through four peaks in fourteen weeks: Deepavali, the year-end school holidays and Christmas, New Year, and Chinese New Year. For many cafes, kuih sellers, bakeries and gift shops, this stretch decides how the whole year looks.

It also brings the most avoidable mistakes: running out of a bestseller on the busiest day, rostering too few staff, or paying suppliers for festive stock just as the post-CNY lull begins. This festive season business checklist works backwards from each date, so you prepare in the right order.

The 2026–2027 festive calendar

State rules vary, so check the gazetted list for your state before finalising rosters.

8 weeks before: learn from last year’s numbers

Your best forecast is what happened last year. Pull your sales for the same weeks and look at three things: which items sold out, which hours were busiest, and how far sales dropped in the weeks after each peak.

If you didn’t have a POS system last year, use bank statements and supplier invoices for a rough picture. Our guide to reading a sales trend before it becomes a problem shows how to separate a real pattern from a one-off.

Write down a target for each peak: expected sales, the top ten items, and the busiest hours.

6 weeks before: lock in stock and suppliers

• Confirm supplier closure dates. Many suppliers close for several days around Chinese New Year, so plan your last delivery before the break and your first one after it.
• Agree festive quantities early for ingredients that spike in price, such as butter, nuts and dried goods.
• Order packaging and gift boxes now; they run out before ingredients do.
• Set par levels (the minimum you keep on hand) for each bestseller during peak weeks.

Our guide to stock control and cutting food waste explains how to set par levels without overbuying.

4 weeks before: plan your people

Staffing is where most festive plans break. Many of your staff will want leave for the same holidays your customers celebrate.

• Collect leave requests early and agree a fair rotation between festivals.
• Line up part-timers now, and train them before the rush, not during it.
• Budget for public holiday pay. The Employment Act 1955 sets extra pay rates for work on a gazetted public holiday; check the current rules with your HR adviser or JTKSM.
• Write a one-page cheat sheet for new staff: the festive menu, prices, and how to handle the five most common requests.

3 weeks before: set up festive offers and pre-orders

Pre-orders smooth out the peak. Customers commit early, you know quantities in advance, and collection can be spread across several days.

• Launch festive sets, hampers or cookie bundles with a clear order cut-off date.
• Take pre-orders through your own online store rather than a delivery app, so you keep the customer’s contact details and pay no commission. Our food ordering system guide compares the channels.
• Sell gift vouchers. They bring cash in now, and redemption often falls in the quieter weeks after.
• Plan a reason to come back in January, such as double loyalty points or a voucher valid after the holiday. Our restaurant loyalty setup guide covers how to structure rewards.

2 weeks before: protect your cash flow

Festive stock, extra staff and packaging all get paid before festive sales come in. Map out what goes out and what comes in, week by week, until the end of February. Remember that the weeks straight after Chinese New Year are often slow, and your supplier invoices may land then.

Our weekly cash flow routine gives you a simple template.

1 week before: stress-test the counter

• Test every payment method: DuitNow QR, eWallets and cards. Charge the devices and check your mobile data backup in case the Wi-Fi drops.
• Put the festive menu and sold-out buttons in the POS, the QR menu and the delivery apps.
• Set up a fast lane for pre-order collections, away from walk-in customers.
• Brief staff on refunds and order changes so nobody has to call you mid-rush.

For F&B outlets, our article on how the right POS setup turns peak-hour chaos into growth covers the counter in more depth.

During the peak: check numbers daily, not weekly

Look at sales by hour and item at the end of each day. If a bestseller sold out by 2pm, raise tomorrow’s prep. If a promotion isn’t moving, change or drop it. Short daily checks prevent the end-of-season surprises.

After the peak: review while it’s fresh

Within a week of each festival, note what sold out, what was left over, how staffing held up, and what customers asked for that you didn’t have. File it with this year’s sales report. Next year’s checklist starts there.

Our list of POS reports every F&B owner should check weekly is a good review template.

Frequently asked questions

When should a small business start preparing for Chinese New Year? About eight weeks before, so mid-December for Chinese New Year 2027. Supplier closures and packaging lead times are the main reasons to start early.

How do I avoid running out of stock during festive season? Base orders on last year’s sales for the same weeks, set par levels for bestsellers, and take pre-orders so you know quantities in advance.

Should I raise prices during the festive season? Festive sets and bundles usually work better than raising prices on regular items. They add value and protect your everyday pricing.

Is it a good time to change my POS system before the festive season? No. Switch in a quiet month instead. See our guide on how to switch POS systems.

Run the festive rush from one screen

EPOS360 tracks stock, staff shifts, loyalty rewards and sales trends in one app, with card, QR and wallet payments built in. Compare EPOS360 plans and get set before the first peak.