Genelle Shoes expands

Sinidu Enterprises Managing Director Sheran Wickremesekera was upbeat regarding the local shoe industry on expanding his business with a new showroom at Duplication Road.

Wickremesekera who has been in the local shoe industry for the last 25 years, having developed his family shoe business from a small scale cottage industry employing seven people, to a medium sized factory providing employment to 50, looks forward to Sri Lankan shoes taking pride of place in the international markets.

“The footwear and leather goods industry is in the forefront of most developed and developing economies. However Sri Lanka’s contribution towards world exports is only a mere 0.1 percent which illustrates the scope there is for the export of locally manufactured shoes,” Wickremesekera said.

The industry currently employs around 20,000 both directly as well as indirectly, while it has 7 large export companies, 30 medium scale companies and about 3000 small entities.

He said the footwear and leather industry has been identified by the government as a strategic sector for economic development.

“This sector has vast potential like the apparel sector.

In recognition of this, the Government has in the recent past offered several incentives to facilitate the growth of this sector, including the imposition of limitations on footwear imports and the increase in duty on the export of raw hides.

Duty concessions have also been introduced for the acquisition of new technology, machinery and raw materials.”

Sinidu Enterprises which manufactures high quality, upmarket ladies footwear under the brand name Genelle has exported their products to both the UK and Australia.

The company has invested over Rs 20 million in machinery and raw materials. “Ninety percent of the shoes are handmade, with the machinery being used to improve quality and productivity. We also have an injection moulding plant to produce our own heels,” Wickremesekera said.

Currently Sinidu Enterprises manufactures between 50,000 to 60,000 pairs of shoes per annum.

In 2006 the company exported 15,600 pairs of shoes to the UK.

At present Genelle shoes could be found at leading fashion outlets in Colombo and other principal towns and also at their own retail outlet, Lakmal Arcade in Mount Lavinia.

Raw materials, ornaments and accessories are imported, while the adhesives, chemicals, wooden heels, boxes, cartons and thread are purchased locally, with quality checks being carried out continuously in order to maintain a consistently high quality.

Machinery such as strap cutting machines, upper/insole folding machines, pressing machines, buffing machines, and hydraulic upper/bottom cutters are used in order to ensure quality and increase production capacity.

“The present export markets for locally manufactured shoes, are mainly the European countries; however to achieve a significant level of exports, the industry needs to be better organized.”

“We intend opening a showroom in every major city in the country and prove that locally made shoes can match any quality imported product, whilst being affordable to the local customer,” he said.