Biz Briefs

High duty hits vehicle industry

The motor vehicle industry in Sri Lanka is one of the most affected sectors in the country due to the depreciation of the rupee, high interest rates and staggering taxes on imported vehicles, a spokesman for the Ceylon Motor Traders Association said.

He said motor vehicle imports and registrations have dropped drastically due to the high duty on vehicles. Vehicle importers and dealers are forced to close operations due to the sharp decline in vehicle sales.

Dialog connects expats in ME

The Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare has partnered with Dialog Axiata to provide exclusive connectivity to expatriate workers in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KAS) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A special SIM card which will be issued by the Foreign Employment Bureau (FEB) via its counters at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and other branches of the FEB. The Expatriate Worker SIM card will provide the user with concessionary tariffs for calls to Sri Lanka and within the Middle East region.

HHF 2012 concludes

Sri Lanka's premier hotel suppliers show “Hotel, Hospitality and Food 2012” (HHF 2012) was held in Colombo last week. Organised by Pico Sri Lanka and Montgomery Worldwide, UK, it was designed to serve the dynamic and diversifying hotel, hospitality, tourism and food businesses of South Asia. HHF 2012 was a market place for regional networking and sales and a new sourcing base for Sri Lankan products.

HFF 2012 had many highlights, showcasing an inter-hotel culinary competition among chefs of leading hotels.

Minister Basil Rajapaksa visits Fonterra's Biyagama site

Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa visited Fonterra's Biyagama liquid milk processing plant recently to see how the company processes fresh milk into dairy products. Minister Rajapaksa was taken on a tour of the manufacturing process - from the point where fresh milk reaches Fonterra's manufacturing facilities to the point where cups of yoghurt, fresh milk and flavoured milk are ready to be transported to retail stores.

Amana Takaful in Kalmunai

Amana Takaful PLC opened an office in Kalmunai recently. Here the chief guest, Chief Executive Officer, Fazal Ghaffoor opens the office and receives the first deposit from a customer. Business Development Manager I. Abdul Careem, Senior Manager, Sales and Distribution, M. Nazeem Ghaffoor, Senior Manager, Sales and Distribution, S.H. Asif, Regional Manager, Eastern Province, M.S. Niyas and Branch Manager S. Sibly are also in the picture. Pic: I.L.M. Rizan, Addalaichenai Central Cor.

DHL Express opens service points

DHL opened three new service points in Negombo, Maharagama and Ratnapura, thus increasing its retail foot print to 19 across the island. Senior Vice President and Area Director, DHL Express South Asia, Malcolm Monteiro said, "At DHL, our efforts are targeted towards ensuring we help our customers take their businesses to the next level, with our global and local expertise."

"The footprint expansion is a part of the larger plan to be more accessible to our customers in Sri Lanka.

Refurbished Singer Mega at Mt. Lavinia

Singer Mega Mount Lavinia was recently refurbished. It features a range of world-class brands and the latest products. “The look and feel of the store allows customers to shop in comfort and ease” a Singer spokesman said. Here (from right): Marketing Director, Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC, Nasser Majeed, Director Operations, Singer (Sri Lanka) Premalal de Silva, Sales Manager Modern Trade, Singer (Sri Lanka), Dhammika Guruge and Executive Retail Manager, Singer Mega Mount Lavinia, Prasad Madugalla light the oil lamp.