People are at the heart of the business which will focus on boosting the market for agriculture, dairy and fisher communities and help households to purchase quality food at an affordable price, Cargills PLC Deputy Chairman/CEO Ranjit Page told a ceremony to mark the 36th anniversary of Cargills Food City which coincided with the opening of 400th outlet in Wattala last week.
Cargills, a homegrown and a household name with a presence in the retail business across the country, supports the farming community by providing a stable market and a guaranteed price for their produce.
“Developing these sectors will help bring down the cost of living and slash the country’s colossal expenditure on food imports,” Page said.
Cargills gives priority to training youth and its young employees whom it believes have immense potential to excel in their retail sector.
“We believe in journeying together and helping each other to fulfill their dreams. Our youth are enterprising and we must help them make the best use of their talent for which Cargills will always extend a helping hand,” Page said. The company trains and certifies youth through it training entity set up in 2004 to enable them to join not only Cargills supermarkets but also gain employment overseas.
“Today we mark the 400th store in the country. Our journey has just begun and there is a lot more to be done. I recall October 26, 1983 vividly, the day we opened the first Food City outlet at Staple Street.
The team then had to face anxious moments not knowing whether it was doing the right thing. Many were of the notion that we were there to cater to a few customers around Staple Street. We never realised at that time that the business will come such a long way,” Page said.
He said the company’s focus is on expanding markets and increasing demand for the produce of the farming community and entrepreneurs in our supply chain and creating employment for rural youth.
Cargills marked 175 years and the Food City, 36, remaining loyal to its pledge to deliver quality products at a reasonable price to customers.
“Cargills has withstood the test of time and established itself as a people’s brand,” Page said.
Cargills (Ceylon) Plc was set up in 1844 and is built on a strong foundation of values and ethics. Guided by trusted leadership it spearheads the sustainable development of the food industry in Sri Lanka. Its continuous investment in retail has made the company’s retail arm Cargills Food City the largest retailer in the country in all categories.