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idea
showroom
participation cost participation
contacts
BACKGROUND
Maldives depends on foreign imports for all its basic, essential as well as luxurious needs. It can be said that Maldives imports everything from the smallest consumer items to the largest capital goods. Out of every dollar that Maldives earn from its high successes in tourism trade, and fisheries less than a quarter is retained in the country. The rest is all spent on foreign imports.
Maldives is so very dependent on South East Asian countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia for sourcing varying ranges of products required for its consumer and capital goods needs. [ see statistics ]
There is no formal institution that facilitates this movement of trade. Maldivian traders and businesses spend a lot of time and money to travel and meet with suppliers and middlemen in those countries to sourcing and purchasing products. It is not wrong to say that these Maldivian traders have caused many suppliers and commission agents to be born and established solely upon Maldivian needs.
Of all South East Asian countries Singapore and Thailand seem to be doing the most trade with Maldives, followed by Indonesia and then Malaysia. [see statistics for trade volumes and commodities].
Singapore Airlines operates 7 direct flights to Maldives a week. This could be one reason for their top position in Maldives trade sector. But Thailand and Indonesia have no direct flights to Maldives at all and yet they perform well through Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian Airlines operates two direct flights a week to Maldives and yet have not been able to make a comparatively visible presence in the Maldives commerce spectrum.
The end result is Malaysian goods arrive in the Maldives through non Malaysian commission agents with a “plus plus” cost factor for the local traders and consumers.
Hence the idea to facilitate a permanent and reliable channel to directly and aggressively promote Malaysian goods and services in the Maldives at more favorable rates with greater benefit to local consumers and Malaysian providers.
The idea is establishing a SHOWROOM, in the Maldives that will exclusively be reserved to display, promote and sell to Maldivian traders and consumers Malaysian goods and services.
The showroom has now been registered at the Maldives Ministry of Trade and Industries.
This showroom will serve as the permanent address for finding Malaysian technology, products and services in the Maldives. It will also be the one stop service centre in the Maldives to directly promoting, and aggressively encouraging purchase of Malaysian products. It will also be a venue for collecting reliable trade information on Malaysia.
Due to its close proximity to Sri Lanka and South India, the showroom will also look beyond the Maldives boundaries. Malaysian manufacturers also can take the advantage of using this Showroom to introduce their products to Sri Lanka and Southern India too. There is such a high trader visit rate to Maldives from these two countries and it can be said that Maldives is closely linked to Sri Lanka and India in its trade and commerce activities.
In short, the Showroom shall work to BRINGING MALAYSIA NEXT-DOOR to Maldives Citizens and the region to encouraging them to BUY MALAYSIAN FIRST.
The idea of showcasing Malaysian products and services in the Maldives on a permanent basis will greatly help Maldives traders to view and inspect Malaysian items and to gain information on them and to place orders for them. It will also allow Malaysian manufacturers to penetrate aggressively in to the Maldives and the region.
The Showroom is being developed at a prominent location in Male’ the capital of Maldives and will have an initial display area of 1500 square feet.
Participants are free to design or supply at their own cost, their own stands and racks or showcases that suit their products. Generally the Showroom shall be responsible to display the products visibly and beautifully.
Participants shall supply at their own cost and in enough quantities all brochures and product information that they wish to be distributed to the target market.
The Showroom will run its own aggressive and year round marketing campaign via the electronic and print media to promote the Showroom as a whole.
Apart from the display and promotional advertisements organized by the Showroom, continuous efforts will be made by the showroom to keep personal contact with and share news of products at the Showroom with the relevant parties in the target markets. These efforts will be through letters, emails, personal visits, seminars and other gatherings and interactions.
Individual participants may require their own products to be marketed through these channels and the Showroom shall gladly oblige. However all actual costs of specific product marketing done at such request shall be reimbursed to the Showroom.
The Showroom will only guarantee its services involved in such endeavors at no additional cost to the Participant. The Participant shall be willing to provide the cost. And no specific product marketing will be done by the Showroom without the specific approval or as it may be directed by the Participant.
The Participant shall be responsible to send the product up to Male’ at CIF Male’ price and to pay for its customs import duty; and in each certain circumstances to pay for handling charges up to the Showroom.
Space at the Showroom will be rented out for a monthly display fee. The current rate is US$ 12/- per square foot plus 25% of that for the immediate walkabout space around it. That walkabout space will on an average be a width of 3 feet.
A once off registration fee of US$ 50/- will be charged by the Showroom for each product to be displayed. This will be payable only once and on registration of the product with the Showroom. Participants displaying more than 10 items may be entitled to a negotiated registration fee if all those items are registered at the same time.
The registration fee puts the registered item on the Showroom’s inventory of items. And the monthly display fee guarantees the continuous display of items so long as the display fee is duly paid each month.
An optional promotional fee may be charged if Participants require the showroom to do any specific promotion activity like newspaper or radio or television advertisement or any other activity which will boost product exposure in the country, nation wide. Here they will pay rates charged from the showroom by the publishing / advertising agency and the costs we incur in the process. No additional fee will be charged for services.
In other words, the promotional activity will be a choice of the participants. We will only do what is asked of us. And the Participant will pay for actual costs only.
An agreed sales commission is applicable when a sale happens provided that the order is received by the Participant from the Showroom or from customers introduced to the Participant through the Showroom or its efforts. The sale commission shall not fall within a range of 5-10%.
The Showroom is an exclusive Malaysian Showroom. The Government of Maldives has licensed this Showroom for the sale and display of only Malaysian goods and services. And that is our reason to exist too.
Therefore, manufacturers and suppliers dealing with goods and products made in Malaysia; and providers of Malaysian services will, subject to space, be always welcome, to participate in the showroom.
POSTAL ADDRESS
2ndFloor |
Marlinesipke Building
Alikilegefaanu Magu
Male’ 20128
Maldives
CONTACT PERSONS
Mohamed Nasheed – Proprietor
Zubaidha Hussain – Executive Manager
©
2003
Malaysian Products
2nd Floor | Marlinespike Building | Alikilegefaanu Magu | Male’ 20128 | Maldives
Phone: ++ 960 31 8558 Fax:
++ 960 31 8338 email :Webmaster