Innovation, creativity made Ranaweera a successful businessman

Shirajiv Sirimane

Customers at the Sari Mandeer

He always had a passion for colours and from his school days he admired flashy colours. It was this passion that drove him to become a 'buy and seller' of saris.

This took him from the Pettah wholesale market to his makeshift store in Wellawatte, to engage in a venture which was more or less, based on the concept, 'keep a cut and sell'

His 'taste' for colours and his eye to match saris with various skin complexions and the ability to grasp the diversified taste of women, drove him to fame and soon he found out that the Pettah market was too small for him and he needed more variety for his customers.

In quest for originals and better selections, Sanath Ranaweera then made his way to South India where he sees the largest selection of colours in saris in the world. He then brings a part of this world to Wellawatta and becomes one of the first major direct importers of saris to Sri Lanka.

His success prompts another partner to woo him into a joint venture. After a few months, Ranaweera gets confident to 'move out on his own' and with a capital of Rs. 50,000 borrowed from a friend he then sets up one of the most sought after institutions by the fairer sex, Sari Mandeer. Soon his customers multiplied and he rented out a bigger store. In 1997, Ranaweera purchased a seven perch of prime land in W. A. De Silva Mawatha and set up Sari Mandeer in his own six storeyed store with a car park, spacious lobby and elevator facilities.

Chairman Sanath Ranaweera

Some of the items at the shop Pictures Saliya Rupasinghe

An old boy of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, he said that he had several offers to enter the mercantile sector, but preferred to be on his own and has no regrets doing so. "Today I have saris ranging from a few hundreds to several lakhs and this is to satisfy both the low and high end customers." Today the premise is also dubbed as the Temple of Saris, as it is a highly successful venture in the textile industry. "We have an unbelievably wide range of saris for customers. Be it casual wear, function wear, wedding wear or bridal wear: be it cotton, silk, chiffon or hand worked: Be it any colour that the customer wants, Sari Mandeer has all of them stacked neatly in its shelves." Sari Mandeer has another additional service for its bridal customers. The customer is given the option to choose 10 to 15 saris and take them to their bridal dresser, to discuss with the dresser which is the best wedding sari for the big occasion. Apart from different saris, there are also fabrics for sale. The customer can choose any fabric they need for sari blouses or skirts simultaneously as they purchase the sari. This makes shopping easy for customers as they do not need to waste time searching for matching blouses elsewhere.

He said that while he came up the hard way, there were several businessmen who had copied his concept and business plan, even to the extent of using similar names to woo customers. "Looking back I know that it was my personal supervision and the well trained staff that brought me to this position and I have no intention of opening any 'branches' anywhere else. My fortress is here," he said. One of the key features of his success was that he personally travels overseas and hand picks saris according to the fancies and demands of his local clientele. He said that Sri Lankan entrepreneurs have talent to compete internationally and companies like Hameedias, Damro, Dilma, Odel, Munchee is only a handful of such examples. "People should be creative and innovative and should not try to 'copy' other businesses," he added.

Chairman Sanath together with Managing Director, Suresh L. Ranaweera are now trying to acquire another floor to cater to the growing demands of their customers.