During the recent Hari Raya season, a routine shopping trip at Sogo Kuala Lumpur turned into an unexpected windfall for Salamiyah Mohamad, a 48-year-old lecturer from Ipoh. While traveling from Kuantan in Pahang to Ipoh in Perak, Salamiyah stopped at the popular shopping mall, where she purchased items worth RM250, qualifying her for the "Jom Balik Kampung bersama Sogo dan Bank Islam" contest.

Salamiyah, who teaches at Ungku Omar Polytechnic in Ipoh, entered the nationwide contest which ran from February 20 to May 31 and attracted nearly 26,000 participants. To be eligible, shoppers needed to spend at least RM150 in a single receipt. Sogo members received one entry per qualifying purchase, while Bank Islam i-Card holders were allowed two entries.

At the contest’s live finale on September 22, held at the mall’s event hall, 21 finalists competed in a series of elimination rounds. Initially, each finalist peeled a sticker to reveal a hidden number, with the top six advancing to the final stage. The other 15 finalists received RM2,000 in shopping vouchers as consolation prizes.

In the concluding round, the six remaining participants selected keys from a game board, each key varying in length. Salamiyah drew the longest key and was declared the grand prize winner, earning a brand new Perodua Traz sports utility vehicle. The other finalists were awarded Bank Islam Gold Account-i funds valued at RM15,000 each.

Salamiyah, who was accompanied by her husband Asmawi Muda and their two children during the prize presentation, said she planned to use the new car for her daily commute to work. Her husband, also a lecturer, expressed pride in the family’s win. Salamiyah also shared fond memories of shopping at Sogo with her husband since her university days at Universiti Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam, recalling how he once held a Sogo membership card and took leave from work to participate in major sales events.

Janice Ho, Sogo’s senior manager for marketing communications, explained that the contest’s format was designed to keep participants engaged through fast-paced, interactive mini games. The event continues a decade-long tradition at Sogo of offering car giveaways as grand prizes during festive campaigns. Previous giveaways have included models such as the Perodua Aruz, Honda CR-V, Mazda 2 Hatchback, and Volkswagen Polo.