Apparel sector links up with 9 top global retailers

Sri Lanka‘s apparel sector has pulled off a coup of sorts. Backed by the country‘s apex exports facilitator Export Development Board (EDB), Lankan apparel grasped a virgin market and a clutch of premium global buyers of three other new markets late November, 2015.

The EDB‘s three-year long quest to team up with nine top global retailers finally paid off when a high powered multinational buyer team finally linked with the EDB representatives and Lankan apparel giants on November 27 in Colombo.

The visiting international buyer team, flown in by EDB, consisted of representatives from top fashion retailers of Brazil, Australia, India and Denmark.

EDB‘s years of efforts to get new markets such as you, the top international retail representatives, to visit Sri Lanka has worked and we thank you for meeting here, said Chairperson and CEO of EDB, Indira Malwatte.
Impressed the high quality of Lankan apparel produce, the multinational buyers‘ delegation promptly embarked on EDB facilitated factory visits of Lankan manufacturers on the same day. The buyers also took part in Sri Lanka Design Festival event in Colombo.

The EDB estimates that Brazil‘s apparel import market to be worth $2.5 billion, Australia $6 billion, and Denmark $5 billion. Apparels are Sri Lanka‘s top most merchandise exports and in 2014 it earned $ 4.9 billion (9.2% more than 2013). Last week, Sri Lanka‘s apparel industry set an ambitious new export target of $10 billion by 2025.

Fonte: Pakistan Textile Journal