Sri Lanka Handicraft Board, popularly known as “LAKSALA” has partnered with Sala Global to take products of Sri Lankan artisans overseas.
The signing of the partnership was done physically and using Zoom. (Hybrid) It was attended by State Minister of Batik, Handloom and Local Apparel Products Dayasiri Jayasekara, Sri Lankan Ambassador in China Palitha Kohona, Embassy Secretary Janaka Darmakeerthi, Laksala Chairman Lakmal Wickramaarachchi –, Sala Group Chairman Chinthaka Wijewickrama, Jason Wong and Alia Sleep of Technology (Guangdong) Co. Ltd. China.
Laksala has 12 branches island-wide of which 4 are located in Colombo and the balance in prominent main towns outstation. The ranges of items have exceeded 50,000.
Having seen the destitute situation of the Artisans and the Craftsmen in the country due to the present COVID pandemic, SALA Global (Pvt) Ltd have joined hands with LAKSALA to take their products globally by having their showrooms and using their IT knowledge.
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| Sri Lankan Ambassador in China Palitha Kohona on Zoom. |
Chinthaka Wijewickrama stated that there are many advantages to working with China. Some of them are China’s GDP, Ability Booming consumer market: disposable incomes up 13% Year On Year. China’s consumer market is the fastest growing in the world. China’s retail annual growth rate is expected to grow at a 10% compound annual growth rate until 2025. In 2021, the average disposable income of Chinese families rose by 13% over the last year. A culture that appreciates arts & crafts. Tech Innovations facilitating sales of goods and services – E-Commerce. Politically, and economically stable country. China is taking a lot of interest in our handicrafts because this is a dying craft there and it is also facing higher labour costs, where countries like Sri Lanka can capitalize. He also said we have to learn from our South Asian neighbours about handicrafts to find new markets. One of the leading exporters of handicrafts to China is India. It competes with Malaysia and Vietnam in wooden handicrafts and Korea in metal handicrafts. Bangladesh is a competitor in jute while it takes on Pakistan on stonework and the Philippines on items made of bamboo.
One of the main attractions for Sala to take this opportunity was the 50,000+ locally made products available with LAKSALA, its craftsmanship and the quality. Special emphasis would be on natural medicinal herbs being used for a healthy life. There are samples of traditional medicinal oils of 1,000 years old, indigenous medical practices that have cured many human ailments.
SALA can offer a Global presence & experience, explore new markets and explore online (Digital) marketing reaching a wide base of customers. They also hope to provide the customers with a virtual shopping experience, provide information on new trends in Handicrafts and generate leads & achieve faster growth.
Having signed the Franchise Agreement with LAKSALA for UAE and Japan the 3rd Franchise Agreement was signed on the 3rd of November 2021 for China tying up with Aliya Technology (Guangdong) Co., Ltd who presently has its showrooms in Fenghuang Beilu, Guangzhou, China.
Wijewickrama says that in addition to Dubai, China, and Japan, there will be SALA Global showrooms open in the USA by the end of next month.
In addition to handicrafts, LAKSALA having a range of food items including organic, spices, herbal, ayurvedic, spices, cosmetics, leather, clothing etc have made it more viable for SALA to reach out to many countries around the globe. He also added that apart from the increased revenue the artisans and the manufacturers would be receiving; there would also be a better use of local raw material for their production. The country too would benefit from the foreign exchange that would be generated through the business.
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