Sri Lanka Brandix says price cuts helped apparel sales

Dec 30, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Brandix group, which supplies top Western fashion brands, said price cuts had helped increase apparel sales despite a global slump in demand. Prices across all categories from men’s underwear, commodity, fashion and best price panties, fashion bras, lounge wear and woven pants, had fallen by 10 to 27 percent over the past year or two, Brandix Director Udena Wickremesooriya said.

Buyers continue to pressure manufacturers to reduce prices, Wickremesooriya told a Brandix ˜Vendor Summit’ in Colombo recently, according to a Brandix statement.

Brandix makes casual bottoms, intimate apparel and underwear, textiles, knitted fabrics, sewing and embroidery thread, accessories and hangers, and also offers wet processing and finishing and fabric printing.

The firm, which is not listed, supplies global labels including Marks & Spencer, Victoria’s Secret, Gap, NEXT, Lands End, Abercrombie & Fitch, Tommy Hilfiger, H&M, Express and Tezenis.

It is one of the firm's that has helped make Sri Lanka's apparel industry a top exporter and employment generator.

The biggest challenge facing the industry was how to bring prices down,