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| Sunday, 12 June 2005 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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New addition to BMC marketing strategy by S. A. Wedaarachchi The program implemented by the Building Materials Corporation (BMC) last year to supply quality building materials at a reasonable price is progressing. The "BMC Super Centre" - the latest addition to the BMC marketing strategy will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse on Thursday, June 23 at Sri Sangaraja Mawatha, Colombo 12. The remarkable feature of this centre is the operation of ten leading building material importers and merchants under one roof in the BMC premises. With the opening of this centre customers will be able to purchase their needs at one point at reasonable prices. Well-known imported and locally made brands of building materials such as Rhino, Ramco, Elephant Asbestos, Chiko Steel, BMC Cement, electrical items, Ceramic items, tools and equipment and other building materials will be available at the BMC Super Centre. At present the BMC marketing network has ten branches in Matara, Ratnapura, Ambalantota, Mannar, Batticaloa and Kandy. The Kandy BMC branch was opened by the Minister of Housing, Construction Industry and Eastern Province Education and Irrigation Development Ferial Ashraff last weekend. Explaining the BMC's progress last year, a spokesman for the BMC said that most of the branches of the BMC have achieved their given marketing targets and this shows a bright future for the corporation which was purposely swallowed up by mischievous elements at the end of 2003. "People cannot bear the skyrocketing prices of building materials. This trade was more or less monopolised by the private sector in previous years due to the wrong decisions taken by the previous government. Even at present price differences can be seen between the public and the private sector shops selling building materials although the quality is the same. The BMC sells a bag of cement at Rs. 475 while the private sector sells it at Rs. 515," he said. At the beginning of 2003 the BMC had 42 branches operating islandwide including Jaffna, Trincomalee and the turnover of the corporation was Rs. 130 million per month. Later most of the branches were closed and the BMC was not able to pay its staff salaries and sought financial help from the Treasury. Under the previous government's policy the BMC had been earmarked to be
handed over to the private sector. |
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