Sunday Nov 17, 2024
Sunday Nov 17, 2024
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The 10,000 sq ft flagship store is spread over three floors and enjoys prestigious visibility from its vantage location.
Chief Guest at the gala ceremonial opening was Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapakse. Also present on the occasion were Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka Nobuhito Hobo, NLPL Deputy Chairman and Managing Director Yoshinari Shimaya, NLPL General Manager Sujatha Egodagedara, NLPL Executive Consultant Nimal Perera, Director T.C. Thennanakoon, Manager Marketing and Sales Kumara Wickrama and several others.
“The move to this prestigious location is a significant step in our journey and consolidates our international brand presence in Sri Lanka. This Colombo flagship store joins our prestigious international chain of similar stores in Tokyo, Nagoya, Hong Kong and New Jersey and brings the sheer excellence of our products to this region. We’re also positioning this as our regional hub and thus cater to all countries in this part of the world,” said Shimaya.
The Noritake flagship store caters to both the retail and wholesale markets with its extensive range of products. The first floor is dedicated to the retail customer and has product offerings which cater to all price ranges. On display here will also be the gift collection and the gala wedding collection. The second floor is the ‘training floor’ and will play host to demonstrations of table layouts and table etiquette while the third floor caters to the restaurants and hotels sector.
Shimaya added that a novel feature of the operations of the new flagship store would also be regular training sessions and demonstrations on table etiquette. This includes detailed table layouts, caring, handling and even the proper cleaning of tableware. The primary target audience will be young couples setting up home and starting a new life together “This is an important factor and we’re paying great attention to this area. As leaders in the industry, we’d like to share our expertise and know-how with our customers so that they can fully appreciate and enjoy their Noritake ware as a lifestyle.”
Established in 1972 as a joint venture company between the Ceylon Ceramic Corporation and the one hundred year old Noritake Co Ltd of Japan, NLPL today enjoys iconic status as Sri Lanka’s pioneer porcelain tableware manufacturing company. Noritake Lanka Porcelain Ltd currently exports 80% of its production to key markets in over a hundred countries including USA, UK, Japan, the Middle East, Australia, Canada, Germany, Mexico and Korea. The balance 20% is marketed locally through its outlets at Kirulapona, Wattala, Matale, Pannala and the Bandaranaike Airport.
Since its inception, Company launched several expansion programs by investing nearly Rs.1,000 million to increase its production facility from 3,000 sets to 12,000 sets per month. It also invested Rs.160 million to introduce the first ever Bone China Tableware manufacturing plant in Sri Lanka thus becoming the pioneer in this segment in this country. Tableware products manufactured by the Company strictly confirm to the standards issued by FDA of the United State of America for lead and cadmium release.
The factory began operations in 1972 with a 150 member workforce which has grown over the years to 1200 skilled workers today. In fact most of the workers, supervisors and managers of the factory are trained in Japan in their relevant fields. Apart from Japanese expertise, its management processes are supported by ISO 9001:2000 certification from the Sri Lanka Standard Institute. The factory in Matale is one of the largest production facilities in the world which produces high quality tableware under the brand Noritake.
