Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake has proposed a 400,000 square feet mall to help apparel manufacturers find domestic and foreign buyers, according to a newspaper report. Karunanayake said there is a need to operate a permanent exhibition centre where manufacturers will have their own stall with required facilities to offer only Sri Lankan branded goods made in Sri Lanka of comparable quality with labels and a complete range of products from head to toe. The centre will offer a meeting place for domestic and foreign buyers for on the spot purchase or placing orders for the domestic market. “I propose to assist this brand journey by establishing a wholesale and retail mall exclusively for domestic apparel brands as a Public Private Partnership at a cost of Rs. 2,500 million where the Government would offer a plot of leased land for the construction of a mall with a floor area of at least 400,000 square feet,” Karunanayake said presenting the Budget 2016 proposals.
