Kurunegala has become the latest location to receive the CEAT premium retail experience with the opening of a new-concept Shop-in-Shop (SIS) outlet in this busy north-western metropolis by CEAT Kelani Holdings, Sri Lanka’s leading pneumatic tyre manufacturer.

The seventh CEAT SIS outlet to be opened in Sri Lanka, the new outlet is located at Rohana Enterprises Kurunegala (Pvt) Ltd., at No 288C, Negombo Road, Kurunegala.

Part of a three-year distribution channel expansion strategy by Sri Lanka’s most-used tyre brand, the CEAT Shop-in-Shop concept is designed to drive brand premiumisation and enhance customer experience, and entails demarcating a dedicated area for CEAT branded tyres within existing multi-brand dealer premises.

CEAT Kelani furnishes the interior, customer lobby and reception areas of this private space to augment customer comfort. Additionally, the Company invests in illuminated brand boards in-store and outside for enhanced brand visibility, roofing, glazing, lighting and furniture, as well as innovative product display racks to emphasise the tyre offerings available with the channel partner. Besides enhancing the visibility and positioning of the brand, this model is known to increase the channel partners’ revenue.

These premium retail outlets are also designed to bring special focus on providing all tyre-related services for passenger cars and SUVs, for which CEAT Kelani produces a range of high-performance radial tyres that are engineered in Germany.

The CEAT SIS outlet in Kurunegala will offer an extensive range of CEAT tyres with attractive discounts, tyre care and technical expertise, wheel balancing and alignment, nitrogen and air pumps for tyre inflation as well as alloy wheels, automobile batteries and vehicle accessories, the Company said.

CEAT’s investments in the new distribution channel upgrade programme in Sri Lanka have resulted in the opening of the three flagship Customer Invested Dealer Operated (CIDO) outlets at Etul Kotte, Madampe and Mirihana, as well as the opening of seven Shop-In-Shop outlets at Borella, Pamankada, Malabe, Colombo 14 (two outlets), Hanwella and now Kurunegala.

CEAT’s emergence as the top brand in Sri Lanka’s tyre sector is the result of substantial investments over several years that have seen not just exponential increases in volumes but expansion of the product range, the deployment of new technology and quantum improvements in quality. The Company’s new retail concepts are designed to ensure the customer experience keeps pace with the brand’s growth.

The CEAT brand originated in Italy and is backed by German manufacturing technology and extensive research and testing facilities in India and Europe. CEAT Kelani Holdings currently manufactures half of Sri Lanka’s pneumatic tyre requirements, exports about 20 per cent of its production to 16 countries and plays a significant role in helping the national economy conserve foreign exchange by reducing dependence on imported tyres. The joint venture’s cumulative investment in Sri Lanka over the past decade alone exceeds Rs 8.5 billion.