Page 65 - Iconic Restaurateurs - The Entrepreneur Mag Ed. 3

Newsroom Round Up What can you tell us about your organization? of Sri Lanka have accepted the brand. As a result, the Canon brand

has significant brand power. The issue is that we have seen a lot of
The Metropolitan Group has served this country for more than
six decades and all the while it has been at the forefront of
which are flooding the market. Regardless of the condition of these
technological innovations which is a lesser known fact. While second-hand inferior quality Canon products imported from Europe
innovation is crucial to the continuing success of any organization, devices, people purchase them because of the power associated
we’ve had the privilege to work with some of the world’s best with the Canon brand.
brands and still do and are able to share that technological know-
how as it were with our clients. And in turn owing to our dedicated However, on the flipside things like secondhand printing machines
after sales service throughout the years it has enabled us to see are being introduced into the market and have had a negative
businesses grow and have grown with them as our workplace impact on the economy. Secondhand machines have contributed
solutions have played an integral part in their businesses. It has to loss in revenue for the government and have opened the door to
been an incredible journey and I’m humbled to have been able to counterfeit consumables being used on those machines, which in
play a small part in that journey. turn bear serious environmental and health consequences as such
items like cartridges are not manufactured under any standards.
What does Branding mean to you?
How does one innovate when it comes to branding?
In essence, it is the ability for any individual to make an instant
connection when they read and recognize a brand. Branding is Taking an example from the print industry, we do not directly
when anyone knows what to expect when they see a particular logo manufacture products, so we have no control over the features of
or signage representing a brand, in terms of longevity, performance a product. What we do control is what we introduce to the market.
and value. Large corporates no longer go for such devices, instead they look
at a comprehensive print management solution. So, we have
What specific challenges are associated with branding introduced a software that is able to manage the print process of
in this industry? an entire office. In terms of a brand perspective, we innovate by
When a brand gains popularity, people start taking advantage introducing innovative solutions to our customers by sourcing
of this. Metropolitan has been the sole authorized distributor for products from around the world which are complementary to our
Canon for more than 40 years and thanks to our efforts the people core products.

Ali Asgar

Roshanali

Director - Sales & Marketing - Metropolitan

The Entrepreneur Page | 62 The Entrepreneur Page | 63