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Sathosa - the retail arm of the Co-operative Wholesale Establishment (CWE), recently enlisted the support of two of Sri Lanka's leading advertising agencies - Q & E Advertising and Masters Advertising, in their effort to become more customer focused and market oriented.

With an annual turnover of around US$ 210 million, Sathosa markets a range of essential commodities from food to hardware and sports goods at comparatively low prices. In order to expand its image and customer base, the Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is in the process of implementing a massive program. The existing Sathosa retail stores - all 157 of them, will be upgraded into super malls. In addition, 200 Sathosa Supermarkets and 100 'A' grade Sathosa outlets will be opened by the year 2005.

Commenting on the expansion program, Minister for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Ravi Karunanayake said "Sathosa has come to the government's rescue in the past to keep prices of essential commodities at reasonable levels. The retail outlets also offer opportunities to small and medium scale industrialists to sell their produce under better terms and conditions."

According to CWE's acting Chairman Lal Wickramatunge, the restructuring process will enhance the service quality in terms of price, products and customer care. To that end, the Ministry's Consumer Care Unit is already involved in keeping strict tabs on service levels and handling customer complaints.

The Ministry has appointed their advertising agencies, Q & E Advertising and Masters Advertising, the task of conveying the Government's message more effectively whilst uplifting the perception of Sathosa as Sri Lanka's largest retail store network.

The two agencies were chosen after a rigorous selection process and Q & E Advertising will handle corporate advertising, while Masters DDB and Media Maps will take on the responsibility of event marketing. Commenting on their choice of the two agencies, Jumar Preena, Director of Media and Marketing Communications Commerce and Consumer Affairs Ministry said that "five agencies pitched for the account.

After strict evaluation, we settled for these two agencies, given their strength in corporate brand building and event marketing."

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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