Apparel Buzz

Dialog Axiata PLC and the Brandix Group, two of Sri Lanka’s largest corporate entities, have joined hands to support the inaugural Sahasak Nimevum National Exhibition for innovations which will help local inventors to showcase their creations to potential investors.

Global retailer upbeat after first Lankan sourcing trials

Sri Lanka’s Industry and Commerce Ministry and its Department of Commerce have earned glowing praise from the world’s third largest retailer TESCO. "I am impressed with the professionalism of Sri Lanka’s Industry Ministry and its DoC. From day one of our arrival, everything went smoothly with top coordination and we achieved our mission in Colombo quickly thanks to their sleek professionalism and organisational focus of DoC," praised the highly pleased Mark Kenneth Astley, the Haryana based General Manager of Tesco Hardlines, under Tesco International Sourcing, Hong Kong, on 07 December.

Welcome

Welcome to the one hundred and twentieth (120th) edition of this regular column. Here, we discuss a wide range of topics around Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), many aspects of Business, SME Development, Agriculture, Education, Entrepreneurship, Creativity, Innovation and the Society at large.

Sourcing insights: South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum

Sustainable production is seen by Sri Lankan textile and apparel manufacturers as an attractive selling point when competing for orders from Western buyers.

The 9th Annual General Meeting of the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) was held on 28 November 2012 which marked its 10th Anniversary and will now be managed by a new team. The following members were elected unanimously as the Executive Committee members of the JAAF:

MAS Holdings said it was investing US$ 70 million in automated knitting technologies, fully renovating a 200,000 sq. ft. facility to accommodate the largest, automated knitting plant in the region. With an envisaged investment of just over USD 70 million backing the revolutionary plant, MAS Fabrics (Private) Ltd, becomes the Group’s single largest investment in the history of its 25 years of operation, the Board of Investment said in a statement yesterday (29).

• Exports decline by 5.8% to $ 7.3 b from Jan-Sept 2012
• Industrial exports decline by 6.9% and agriculture by 8.2%

Exports crashing
Sri Lanka is feeling the heat from the downward trend in the global economy and the withdrawal of GSP+, with overall exports declining by 5.8% to $7.3 billion in the first nine months, the apparel business declining by 9.2% in September, and overall industrial exports crashing at 11.6%.

When track and field athletes from eleven countries donned the world’s lightest, fastest and greenest speedsuit ever created by Nike to run the race of their dreams at the London Olympics, Sri Lanka too triumphed, given that it was Bodyline that worked with Nike under the banner of Project SWIFT on those Pro TurboSpeed suits. The suits boast of being upto 0.023 seconds faster over 100 meters than Nike’s previous track uniform, resulting from twelve years of research studying hundreds of textures, aesthetics and aerodynamics. Nike calls it, "an expression of data-informed and body-led."

Mega 7,500 square feet, three-storey UK-style showroom opening today under exclusive deal with famous global brand

Softlogic Holdings Plc is boosting its profitable retail business via an exclusive deal with world renowned brand Mothercare of UK.The diversified blue chip will launch a mega 7,500 square feet three-level UK-style Mothercare showroom and affiliated brand Early Learning Centre at No.7, R.A. De Mel Mawatha, Colombo 5.The move is part of Softlogic’s strategy of further enhancing the retail offering to better harness opportunities in tandem with the rising per capita income as well as tourist inflow.