Marks & Spencer to extend RMG business in Bangladesh

Washim Mia, Staff Correspondent: United Kingdom (UK) based world famous brand of garments products ‘Marks & Spencer’ is likely to extend business in Bangladesh. At present, it is purchasing garments products of 80 crores tantamount to USD every year. They are to strike out the business relation with other countries including China, their biggest product provider of the time, from the list and to concentrate on Bangladesh. The exporters of the garment sector expect that very soon it can touch the milestone, 1 billion.

Recently, a delegation of the top management of Marks & Spencer headed by its Chairman Archibald John Norman visited Bangladesh and held a meeting with the leaders of BGMEA, including its President Md. Siddiqur Rahman at a hotel in Dhaka.

Other members of the Marks & Spencer delegation were Stephen Joseph Rowe, Chief Executive Officer; Stephen Michael Fitzgerald, Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer; Gillian ClareMcdonald, Managing Director, Clothing & Home; Mark Lindsey, Sourcing Director; and Shwapna Bhowmick, Country Head, Bangladesh & Myanmar present at the meeting.FBCCI President Md. Shafiul Islam (Mohiuddin), BGMEA Vice President (Finance) Mohammed Nasir, and Director Md. Munir Hossain were also present there.

They discussed different issues related to the RMG sector in Bangladesh. They visited their garments provider factories and informed that to see the competence of the garments industries, they flew to Bangladesh. The team was quite satisfied with the RMG factories the country has.

Following the meeting, Stephen Joseph Rowe, CEO- Marks & Spencer said, ‘The trip is effective so far. We have met some of our garments providers. The advantages provided by the factories are world class. It’s really important for the supply chain. Bangladesh is well ahead in this context. It will be more fruitful source for the products we need. Bangladeshi production sectors will maintain this motion for a couple of years more and get some huge orders. In this way, the intimacy will be more increased’.

Mark and Spencer, who earns £ 10 billion annually, currently buys clothing from more than 60 factories from Bangladesh. Over the past four years, the company has been purchasing $ 400 million dollars a year from Bangladesh. It has doubled in the last three years.

‘Bangladesh is now focusing on producing high-priced garments. We are also buying high-quality clothing from a number of institutions. This is a great possibility for exporters’ said Swapna Bhowmik , head of Marks & Spencer of Bangladesh office.

BGMEA President Siddiqur Rahman said, ‘The Marks & Spencer delegation visited several factories and said that factories are world-class. Currently, it is estimated to be 80 crores per year but the amount can be 1 billion dollars or even more. After observing our factory’s capabilities, they are thinking of bringing their business to Bangladesh minimizing from other countries. We can give this possibility a practical shape if the infrastructural obstructions are fixed’.