ATL to increase market share in 2017
The Akosombo Textiles Limited (ATL) which has won the Gold Award for Best Export Company in Textiles Print consecutively expects to increase their market share by 15 – 20 per cent in 2017.
Mr Samuel Hemans-Arday, the Deputy Marketing Manager, said: “We hope to increase our market share by 15 -20 percent irrespective of the challenges we are facing. We will introduce new products, new brands and styles that consumers can associate with.”
He also said: “In the last five years, we’ve been winning gold awards for exporting cotton fabrics at the National Award for Export Achievement. We are hoping that for the 2016 awards we will move from the gold awards to platinum.”
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Hemans-Arday says ATL has introduced a new wax brand, QSpice. “The Q in the Qspice represents quality and its designs are perfect for the festive season.”
He also said ATL is making efforts to stay ahead of competition. “We intend to create the demand. For instance, in Ghana we use fabrics for everything, occasions, work, etc… but in Benin they only use fabrics at work and then maybe domestic attires. It’s time for us to get other countries in the West African sub region to use fabrics for all occasions. Like our motto:‘Whatever the Occasion’. We have fabrics for every kind of occasion.”
He noted that ATL has products specifically for the youth. “In order to reach the youth we have collaborations with halls of universities and polytechnics. So they use our fabrics in celebrating their hall weeks. We also support fashion shows, beauty pageants to display the fabrics.
“Most of the youth are on social media and social media is an integral part of reaching out to the youth. ATL has begun using social media and we intend to do that more massively.”
Mr Hemans-Arday explained that ATL’s high margin products are exported to other African countries, like the ABC, ATL WAX.
“When it comes to exports, we are part of CHARR textile group, we have sister companies in Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Niger and Cameroon. We sell to the group which is fixed but it is open so we get clients from outside the group.”
He added that in 2013 the Company exported goods worth GHc11.04 million. ATL recorded GHC5.85 million worth of exports in 2014, and more than GHC4.3 million in 2015.
“We have fancy products also for the local market. The poor economic conditions and influx of Chinese fabrics has made even our fancy products expensive. ATL is known for quality wax products. That is our core strength and core value. We have the DAVIVA brand, TREASURE and EXCELLENCE.”
Source: GNA