(NEW OFFICE). Canadian Manufacturing sales and marketing director Chand Daryanani outside their newly-opened office on A.C. Cortes St. in Mandaue City. (Amper Campaña)
A MANILA – based manufacturer of bed linens and accessories has expanded its presence in Cebu by opening a satellite office in Mandaue City.
Canadian Manufacturing, which is operated by Classic Characters Inc., said it wants to grow its market share in Cebu, primarily among hotels, from 15 percent to 20 percent to 25 percent in the next five years, according to its sales and marketing director Chand Daryanani.
The Canadian brand has been in the market for 56 years already, but it is only now that it opened an office in Cebu. Aside from hotels, its products also include towels and pillows. It also has a retail presence in department stores.
“Cebu is one of the places in the country that is attracting a lot of tourists…Definitely, this is helping us grow,” the official said.
Canadian Manufacturing also opened an office in Coron in Palawan and is targeting to open more offices in Iloilo, Davao and Cagayan de Oro, where tourism is also on the upswing.
“(The expansion) now is all about growth. We build and build, (increase our capacity) until we got to a point where we think we can expand,” Daryanani said. He said the company is also riding on the growth of the tourism industry, where more hotel establishments are being built yearly.
Canadian Manufacturing has served the A market, down to C and D, from five-star down to one-star hotels through the years, he said.
Daryanani said the competition in the industry is tougher now, with the entry of more local and foreign brands in the country.
“The competition is very stiff. There are a lot of players and many are price-point based. We follow the quality-for-money approach. We try to be as competitive as possible,” said Daryanani.
While it has grown over its five decades of operations, Daryani said they want to focus on the domestic market alone and grow from it. The company, however, is monitoring the effects of the full integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on the bedding industry.
“With Asean opening up, we’re not sure yet (about expansions). We haven’t seen the effect of it. We’re still focused on the domestic market,” he said.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on February 10, 2015.
