Listed Singer (Sri Lanka), the premier consumer durables retailer in Sri Lanka, has partnered with Malaysia-based Signature Kitchens to bring European-class experiences and quality to local households, urban living spaces, luxury apartments and the B2B segment including real estate developers. Undaunted by the Covid-19 pandemic, Signature is expanding its global reach and developing new markets for its brands. In Singer Sri Lanka, the group sees exciting potential and has found the perfect fit to make Signature Kitchens a household name, explains Mahesh Wijewardene, Singer’s Chief Executive Officer.
What makes this partnership so unique?
Wijewardene: With this new partnership, Singer aims to begin manufacturing Signature Kitchens’ systems and products in Sri Lanka. This collaboration will establish and reinforce Signature’s brand presence the country. We will display its innovative product portfolio for the first time in Sri Lanka at Singer Homes, Ratmalana and will expand to 30 more outlets initially. We will manufacture Signature Kitchen systems at our stateof-the-art Singer Factory Complex. We will unleash innovative ideas to expand cuisine capacities of Sri Lankan homes, giving local consumers a blend of Europeanness, elegance, style and products manufactured with high-quality materials.
A team from Signature is working hand in hand with Singer sharing industry best practices, coupled with innovation and creativity so that our consumers get nothing but the best. Signature started Signature Kitchen Lanka Pvt Ltd to run the local production operations here. Signature will bring into the venture its kitchen expertise, technical knowledge and know-how in distribution and management in retail operations.
What can you tell us about Signature Kitchens?
Wijewardene: It is part of the Signature Group based in Malaysia, a Forbes Asia Best Under a Billion U.S. Dollars company, winning many prestigious accolades over the years including the 2016 MSWG-ASEAN Corporate Governance Excellence Award.
From its humble beginnings in 1994 as a distributor and retailer of modular kitchen systems, Signature has grown to be the largest kitchen manufacturer in Malaysia, specializing in the design, manufacturing, distribution and installation of kitchen cabinets and built-in wardrobes under its flagship brand, Signature Kitchens. Today, it has the largest kitchen retail network in Malaysia and a global presence spanning across 15 countries. Quality, functionality, design, and style are hallmarks of Signature Kitchens where innovative, customer-driven, fully customizable solutions are the core focus.
Why did Signature Group decide to enter the Sri Lankan market at this time and why did they choose to partner Singer?
Wijewardene: Signature sees significant growth opportunities in Sri Lanka, and we at Singer are excited to be their partners. The Signature Kitchens range will complement our extensive home furnishing product portfolio. In its drive to expand its global reach, Signature Group selected Singer because we can make the Signature Kitchen brand a household name.
Signature Group understood that Singer’s islandwide presence in Sri Lanka and strength in manufacturing has made it a strong candidate to this partnership. We have an enviable position of trust in the Sri Lankan market: for instance, Singer has been feted as the Number One People’s Brand for 14 consecutive years at the SLIM-Nielson People’s Awards.
We have come a long way since Singer started selling its iconic sewing machines here in 1877, and quickly introduced a retail strategy with mulitple brands and products. Today, we are a public limited company listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange with several subsidiaries including Singer Finance Plc, a listed non-bank financial company.
Now, Singer has an extensive retail network of 430 showrooms in the country and possesses unmatched expertise in distribution and after-sales care of multiple brands of renown. Singer is at the forefront of Sri Lanka’s retail segment with a portfolio of over 600 electronic items, 1200 home appliances and boasts of more than 50 internationally renowned brands. Apart from being spoiled for choice and excellent service, our customers can enjoy credit card offers, hire-purchase and convenient payment schemes along with comprehensive warranties.
By leveraging Singer’s established household brand and islandwide retail network, Signature will be well-positioned to produce cost synergies to capture the market as we navigate the challenging and uncertain environment in times of the Covid-19 pandemic.