Cargills Food City celebrates 36 years of moving closer to customers by opening 400th outlet

The success of Cargills Food City is the story of creating markets for farmers and entrepreneurs and developing skills of the youth, whilst offering customers, quality and fair prices. The company took the first steps in its journey in 1983, in an era where supermarkets catered to the elite, and revolutionised this phenomenon by making modern trade accessible to everyone. 

This paved the way for an era of convenience and comfort, gradually becoming an essential part of everyone’s lives. Today, Cargills Food City is a household name; a name trusted for making available a range of quality products under one roof at the best prices across the country.

In 1998, a visit to Hanguranketha moved the retail chain to forge direct links between local farmers and its supermarkets. Since then Cargills Food City has never looked back. Today, it is the single-largest collector of fruits and vegetables, sourcing farm-fresh produce from across the nation. In fact, 4% of the national production of fruits and vegetables are sold through its supermarkets. Thousands of kilos of fresh produce come from its agriculture centres spread across the country, delivered to all its outlets within 24 hours. 

Every day, when Cargills Food City opens its doors in 25 districts, the sale of fresh produce and other goods supports regional development in different parts of the country. The company strives to create more markets, thereby increasing the demand for our local farmers and entrepreneurs, as well as offering customers better nutrition and value for money.

Since its inception, the company’s mission has been to reduce the cost of living for all Sri Lankans. The considerable investments made in this regard to support the farmer while providing the customer with the lowest prices have certainly paid off. Today, Food City’s assurance of the lowest prices has become the benchmark for pricing in the country.

The company’s contribution towards agricultural modernisation is immense. Through its ‘Saru Bima’ project and initiatives to introduce good farming practices, Cargills Food City ensures increased productivity as well as cleaner, more nutritious harvests. 

Going a step further, Cargills Saru Bima Fund reaches out to the next generation of farmers through the provision of scholarships, computers and insurance schemes. Since its intention is to uplift not only farmers but their families and communities, the Fund reaches out to the farmers’ children through the Cargills Saru Bima Scholarship and Community Project Awards to support their academic ambitions. 

The company’s other initiatives include training farmers on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in order to offer customers, the Good Harvest brand of safe, fresh produce. The company invests in providing exposure for its farmers, sending them overseas for training in new technologies for a better yield and higher productivity. 

Cargills Food City established an institute, the Cargills Foundation (formerly known as the Albert. A. Foundation) in 2004 to train, develop and offer internationally recognised certifications to the youth across the country. This was not only extended to those joining Food City supermarkets, but also to young people seeking employment overseas. This, in turn, resulted in the generation of much needed foreign exchange. 

The success achieved by Cargills Food City is fuelled by the energy of its organisation, especially the young girls and boys who work for the retail chain, the farming community and the entrepreneurs who have supported Cargills Food City, not forgetting that the contributions of brand leaders in every category also help drive it forward. 

Backed by the support and contribution of all stakeholders, the company aims to widen its reach and connect closely with customers, whilst continuing to deliver on its promise to offer people high quality products at affordable prices. The opening of the 400th outlet in Wattala on 26 October marks a momentous milestone for the largest and most widespread supermarket chain in Sri Lanka – Cargills Food City.