Sri Lanka’s Super Market King and the person who introduced super marketing concept to the country converting his family conglomerate Cargills Ceylon to foray into retailing and food and beverage manufacturing at large – Ranjit Page recently stressed that the way forward for Sri Lanka is to develop and make retailing as a professionalism. He made this observation addressing the 2nd Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka Retailers’ Association
Ranjit Page who possesses nearly three decades of management experience with expertise in food retailing, food service, and manufacturing, said that the most important thing is to make a professional body that make retailing a professional.
“Make it a profession, if you don’t make it a profession you’re going to have a bigger challenge because one of the biggest challenges today is getting people to join retail industry, because they like to do other things” Ranjit Page said.
He said most youngsters in today’s Sri Lanka are feeling that retailing is not a professional thing and that they feel that what should they be? A shop keeper or somebody working in a hey in a little shop or a supermarket girl . Page stressed that the feeling that the younger generation have is the biggest challenge.
And he said that the Retailers Association has tremendous task ahead, which is not about getting governments and incentives and exhibitions, but it’s about making people in the in the trade to believe that retailing is a profession.
He further pointed out that Sri Lankans has the visions and capacity to make retailing a profession, because he believes that Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans know whatever they do, they can can do it better than the people outside from the world.
“I’m not saying that we need to bring people from the outside to come and start working in the retail shops” Page stressed adding that it is vital to create a professional environment to attract new talent for the retail industry and that his first request to the Association President is to work towards building a professional body that is similar to hotel schools that make the hospitality industry a professionalism. He further stressed the importance of introducing training and professional certifications, diplomas to attract new talent to the industry.
In this regard he said that coming 2019 is a tremendous opportunity.
“I know some of us will be shaken with the ending of 2018 but let’s look at 2019 and I believe it’s going to be a fantastic period. I’m not just trying to make some positive statements here, but that is first I believe and Lonely Planet’s calling Sri Lanka the number one destination; that itself is a big boost for you as a retailer because you’re going see many people coming here” he said.
He said that Sri Lankan people are much better than the other countries around, when it comes to the services sector and he said that Sri Lanka will foresee a growth in Service industry in the years to come. He also pointed out that today we see that many shopping malls, regional and international business brands are coming to the country and therefore the industry stakeholders must be ready for the challenges and changes,.
“Do you believe that the future of this country is a good visual services, and that’s where I see ourselves” Ranjit Page said adding that his conglomerate Cargills is on a long story and that is about changing, and continuous change.
Page also went on to say that but at the same time the retail industry must consider in investing in next generation to build the next leaders and to create new people to take over the retail landscape of country including the next level of entrepreneurs.
“That’s the opportunity we have with the development taking place, tourism looking bright. And I think there’s something more we can do is to look at ourselves and say what have we done, and what we can do what we can do each of us individually collectively and as an association is to build the next leaders of the retail industry” Ranjit Page elaborated.
He pointed out that the industry need to create a new brands new shops new leaders but for that they also have to use their experience and put all experience together whilst learnings from one another’s.
“Let’s document it. let’s create programs and help others learn from it. Each one of us have learnt through various mistakes let’s learn from those mistakes and together build the next generation and the next brands in this country, that’s the opportunity you have as an association.” He noted.
– Reporting by Devendra Francis
adaderana business