Singer crowned with three People’s Brand Awards

Company sees potential amongst aspiring rural segment post-war

Singer Sri Lanka Group CEO Asoka Pieris holding the People’s Durable Brand award with the jubilant marketing team. (Inset) Singer Sri Lanka Chairman Hemaka Amarasuriya receives the People’s Brand of the Year from Chief Guest at SLIM Nielsen Award ceremony Minister for Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Dilan Perera.

By Cassandra Mascarenhas

Sweeping up three awards at the SLIM-Neilsen People’s Brand Awards held earlier this week, Singer has now set its sights on stronger growth in 2011, especially in the consumer durables industry by targeting the grass-root levels of the country, a segment which has been identified as having great purchasing power.

The three awards won were People’s Brand of the Year, People’s Durable Brand of the Year and People’s Youth Brand of the Year. The People’s brand of the year has been won for six consecutive years.

Recording ground-breaking growth of 35 per cent in 2010 and crossing the Rs. 16 billion mark which was very crucial for the company, they also experienced phenomenal growth with their individual products. The CEO of Singer Sri Lanka, Asoka Pieris, while admitting that duplicating such high levels of growth of 35 per cent this year was doubtful, said they are still expecting good growth in 2011 and look forward to making the best use of a buoyant market.

“We are obviously very happy with the results at the People’s Awards and we think that this was possible because of the confidence placed in us by the general public and the trust that they have in the brand because of the products that we sell and the service that we offer them.

The company too has put in a lot of effort to earn the trust and confidence of the customer so that when we get an award like this, it’s something of a vindication; so we were very happy to receive it,” said the CEO.

Singer is now expecting stronger growth in 2011 because they feel that the markets are good especially in the consumer durables industry. The company has taken what was once considered cutting-edge technology and made it available to the rural people who according to Pieris are now aspiring for more and furthermore, their potential to buy has been increased as their income levels are fairly substantial.

Taking televisions as an example, people now have high aspirations; hence Singer feels that a good number of people will want to have an additional LCD or LED television. This Singer interprets as tremendous potential in that area. With the spread of rural electrification, refrigerators, washing machines and mobile phones are other product lines that they see as having great potential.

As the market leader in home computers, Singer is also concentrating on promoting the use of computers. They have been highly successful in both Colombo and in the rural areas so far and look to take this further, this year. The company has also taken it into their own hands to promote and improve IT literacy in the country by opening up educational institutes in Colombo, Kaduruwela and Mahiyangana and have further plans to open a fourth centre this year.

“Singer is actually the market leader in home computers and we have promoted them heavily in both Colombo and in rural areas. Singer in general has been successful in removing the aura in technology by taking an expensive product and making it possible for common people to purchase. Our current task is taking the LCDs and LEDs to the mass market. The television market in Sri Lanka has been penetrated to about 90 per cent but of an older technology; whereas the market penetration when it comes to LCDs and LEDs is zero per cent. So we see this as a very important market and we feel that people will want to have a second television,” explained Pieris.

The growing potential of the North and East has not gone unobserved and although Singer has had a constant presence in these areas even during the times of conflict, they are now increasing their presence there with six branches in the peninsula alone and plans to open further outlets in other areas within the course of this year.

“Some of our branches in Jaffna have been our highest performers and we currently provide employment to over 70 people there and indirect employment to many more. We also plan on strengthening our presence in the North and East in the near future,” assured the Marketing Director for Singer Sri Lanka, Nasser Majeed.