Hameedia spreads it's wings in Maldives

Sri Lanka's leading menswear specialist Hameedia recently opened its fully equipped and state-of-the-art showroom in the Maldive Islands. The opening took place under the patronage of the Minister of Trade and Commerce Mohamed Rasheed.

Minister of Trade and Commerce of the Republic of Maldives Mohamed Rasheed (at right) in conversation with Fouzul Hameed. At left is Abdul Majeed, Managing Director, Bison Company of the Maldives

Also present were the Maldivian Defence Minster Ameen Faisal, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed, Finance and Treasury Minister Ali Hashim, several other distinguished Ministers of the Maldivian Government, the Attorney General and Members of Parliament.

With this new showroom in Male, and another in Chennai's Spenser Plaza, Hameedia thus becomes Sri Lanka's first ever clothing retailer to further expand its presence in the South Asian region. Situated at the M. Zaabu, Fareedhee Magu in Male, the 1750 sq metre showroom features all of Hameedia brands such as Envoy, Le Bond, Signature etc.

Maldivian Minister of Trade and Commerce Mohamed Rasheed said that the Maldives is finally complete with a world class men's store of the calibre of Hameedia. 'Hameedia is renowned to give men a complete solution and is very well known among the top end Maldivian community', he added.

Managing Director Hameedia Fouzul Hameed said he was happy that the company was able to position a Sri Lankan brand in the international market. 'Hameedia has groomed successful men in Sri Lanka for decades, and now, with years of experience, we're confident that we will conquer not only the Maldivian markets but also the large number of international tourists who holiday in the Maldives. The Maldivians know our brand very well. We're now at their doorstep thus enabling them to experience our brands in a more personal way.

Hameedia was proud to be able to lead the way and boldly entered the international market in 2004 in India with a Sri Lankan brand.

This proves how confident the Sri Lankan apparel sector can be in the global scenario. We Sri Lankans must not look only at this country, but instead look beyond at the region and its vast markets.

Our technology is advanced and powerful, our products, superior, our marketing should therefore not stop at local geographical barriers he added.