• Sri Lanka Retailers Association hosts APRCE 2024, the premier event of FAPRA
• Tokyo, Japan, named as the host country for the next APRCE, to be organized by the Japan Retailers Association

At a grand ceremony on September 6th, 2024, held at Shangri-La Colombo, veteran business leader Murali Prakash was officially appointed as the Chairman of the Federation of Asia Pacific Retailers Associations (FAPRA). Mr. Prakash, a respected

figure in the retail industry, will lead the association’s initiatives for the next two years.

The ceremony, attended by over 350 guests, many of whom were international

delegates from FAPRA member countries, marked a significant transition in leadership.

The formal handover of the chairmanship was conducted by the outgoing chairman, Mr. Roy Nicholas Mandey, Chairman of the Indonesian Retail Merchants Association (APRINDO), to Murali Prakash, who previously served as the Deputy Chairman of FAPRA and Immediate Past President of the Sri Lanka Retailers Association (SLRA).

As part of its tradition, FAPRA empowers a member country every two years to host the Asia Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition (APRCE), a premier knowledge-sharing event and exhibition for the retail industry. This year, the Sri Lanka Retailers Association (SLRA) was chosen to host APRCE 2024, a prestigious honour earned four years ago.

The APRCE 2024 knowledge conclave was held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), with an opening reception and gala dinner at Shangri-La Colombo. Attendees included delegates and speakers from 15 countries, mostly representing FAPRA member nations, as well as prominent Sri Lankan retailers.

During the gala dinner, the next host for APRCE was officially announced. Tokyo, Japan will serve as the host city for the next APRCE, which will be organized by the Japan

Retailers Association (JRA). The FAPRA flag and a scroll containing the event details were ceremonially handed over by Murali Prakash, the newly appointed Chairman of FAPRA and Convener of APRCE 2024, to Mr. Hirofumi Nomoto, Chairman of the Japan Retailers Association.

The Federation of Asia Pacific Retailers Associations (FAPRA) serves as the apex body for retail associations across the Asia Pacific region. Currently, FAPRA represents 18 countries and regions, including China, Chinese Taipei, Fiji, Hong Kong, India,

Indonesia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.