August 04, 2009, Colombo. Topping up convenience to suit the on-the-go demands of its discerning customer base, Bharti Airtel Lanka (Pvt) Ltd has conquered yet another unchartered territory for the telecom industry. Airtel is the only mobile services operator to partner Sri Lanka’s major retail and alliance chains, all in one go. Customers who patronise Cargills Food City, Keells and ARPICO supermarkets and Singer and Abans showrooms as well as M.D. Gunasena outlets can now experience Airtel’s range of service offerings with ease.

Explaining how Customers can enjoy enhanced opportunities of convenience to access information, stay connected and enjoy Airtel’s rich array of services on offer, Amali Nanayakkara, CEO of Bharti Airtel Lanka stated that “The strategy is in line with our commitment of providing effective need based services for customers to experience the brand holistically”. It has also to do with, as she further comments, being present at all relevant touch-points at the correct time to deliver customer delight. “Our organized retail and alliance partnerships enmesh that vital element of service, combining ease of access and customer convenience, keeping abreast of intricate customer requirements to constantly service customers fully to this end”.

Services on offer range from bill payment for all postpaid connections and reload facilities for prepaid connections. In addition, Airtel Stores have also been set up at selected strategic locations within partner establishments, where services extend to the purchase of new Prepaid & Postpaid connections. “Through strategic innovation, Cargills Food City has clearly evolved from being a supermarket to a one-stop-shop solution offering a variety of value-added services to households. Our tie-up with Airtel further strengthens our efforts to provide a more comprehensive service to our customer base,” says Sidath Kodikara, Executive Director, Retail and Restaurants, Cargills (Ceylon) PLC.

The availability of the array of offerings has also been widely accepted by other major Modern Trade partners as well. Charitha Subasinghe, CEO Jaykay Marketing Services (Pvt) Ltd and Vice President – John Keells Group, said that “At Keells Super, we continue to explore ways and means of creating value to our shoppers. This partnership is yet another step in that direction”. Michael Andree, CEO Richard Pieris Distributors Limited said further, “As part of increasing the value added service product portfolio to our customers, Arpico is pleased to partner Airtel to enable mobile bill settlements at Arpico Supercentres”.

In addition to all major Modern Trade chains, strategic alliances entered into with Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC, Abans and MD Gunasena have also ushered in greater convenience to customers who patronise these establishments. Identifying the significance of the tie up with Airtel, Nasser Majeed - Director Marketing of Singer Sri Lanka PLC further stated that “Singer is well equipped to serve all retail customers with a state of the art ERP system that enables speedy services and real time update of customer accounts.” While Tito Pestonjee, Director of Abans stated that “Abans is proud to be in partnership with Airtel and we hope this relationship will be mutually beneficial to both organizations and our valued customers,” Rajive Gunasena, Deputy Managing Director of M D Gunasena & Co. Ltd, also commented that “M. D Gunasena, since its inception in 1913, has sought to widen the boundaries of knowledge & education. We feel that communication is also a vital part of knowledge dissemination and therefore partnered with Airtel”.

Bharti Airtel has always looked at creating eco systems within its environment to optimize benefits to society at large. Strategic partnerships of this nature with apex retail and alliance enterprises in Sri Lanka will only lead to the ultimate benefit of the customer. “It is why we are delighted and honoured to partner all of these esteemed organizations in bringing Airtel closer to the customer”, Amali Nanayakkara concluded.