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			'title' => '“We Have An Edge Over Other Laboratories”',
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			'content' => '<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div justify="" style="width: 595px;">
		<div>
			<div align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				Super Religare Laboratories Ltd (SRL) and Life Care Services Pvt Ltd have started a jointventure recently to offer the Nepali public a world-class pathology lab. At a programme to mark this occasion, <strong>Dr Sanjeev K Chaudhry</strong>, the Chief Executive Officer of SRL, spoke to Nubiz about the venture and its future in Nepal. Excerpts from the interview:</div>
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	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>Could you brief us on SRL? </strong><br />
				Super Religare Laboratories (SRL) is India’s largest and one of the world’s fastest growing health care diagnostics company. SRL was the first pathology lab system in India to get quality accreditations from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), Government of India and the College of American Pathologists (CAP), USA. SRL is today approached by leading hospitals of the UK, the Middle East, the SAARC region and South East Asia for their testing needs. A large part of the decision that a doctor makes in terms of what treatment to do or how to heal a patient is based on the output of an accurate diagnosis. We are the market leaders not just in terms of geographic capability or the size of an operation but also in terms of scientific and medical capability. SRL is the only Pathology Lab Network from India to have five reference labs and over 170 labs, with a footprint spanning over 1500 collection centres. Since its inception in 1996, it has conducted over 50 million tests and today its operations have scaled up to a level where 10 million people every year repose their trust in the testing facilities of SRL.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>What kind of research did you carry out before approving this particular venture?</strong><br />
				Well, the laboratory of this nature is commercially viable if it is processing about 100 samples a day. We realised that we can price the services at this laboratory very high and make a lot of profit due to our monopoly position. However, it is not part of the “We have an edge over other laboratories” New Business Age | October 2010 25 Visiting Business People Nubiz SRL philosophy to do so. We believe in doing things correctly and at a fair price. So we have priced it very competitively in line with the market reality in Nepal. Our strategy is to seek profit through volume expansion. Since this lab is located in Kathmandu, we also had to think about the people residing outside the valley. So we have also set up sample collection centres outside the Kathmandu valley. There are already eight collection centres linked to this facility that includes Pokhara, Dharan, Janakpur, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj and Bharatpur. Over a period of time, we plan to have a 100 collection centres across Nepal.<br />
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		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>Tell us about your foray into the Nepali market.</strong> <br />
				Being a neighbour of this country and being very closely associated culturally, socially and economically, we get a lot of people from Nepal who frequent India for treatment. There are many others who only send their samples. We perform tests on nearly about 80,000 samples and a few hundred every day from Nepal itself. So, we were convinced that coming to Nepal with a modern laboratory was always a viable proposition. This will serve not only our existing clientele here but also a large number of people who will have easy access to our laboratory here.<br />
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			<div align="justify">
				<strong>What is the kind of investment that you have put in your operations in Nepal? </strong><br />
				Super Religare Reference Laboratories (Nepal) Pvt Ltd is a joint venture between SLR, India and Life Care services Pvt Ltd, Nepal, which is part of a leading corporate group here led by Mr Ravi Bhakta Shrestha. We have already invested about US$ 1 million in this facility. With time, the facility will expand with more investment in its infrastructure. From the perspective of the health care industry, you need to understand that this facility is the part of a very large network. This network is connected electronically to a large number of reference laboratories across the world. For now, while it may be only a US$ 1 million investment, there is a whole SRL investment of several hundred million dollars in India and elsewhere which will be supporting the local facility here.</div>
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		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>How big are your operations and reach in global terms? </strong><br />
				Besides India and Nepal, we have a presence in Dubai at the Dubai Health Care City, in Mauritius, and in a couple of African countries, too. Very soon, we will be expanding to Europe and the United States as well.<br />
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		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>What is the kind of expectation for growth here in Nepal that you have in mind, in the foreseeable future? </strong><br />
				At the moment, the parent company is growing at 30 to 40 per cent annually. We expect to register the same growth rate in Nepal or perhaps, even a higher rate. It would mean performing more tests and opening more collection centres. You can evaluate these things in multiple ways. We’ll look at establishing more laboratories in Kathmandu as well as other parts of Nepal once the need arises.</div>
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			<div align="justify">
				<strong>Tell us about the target consumer base that you keep in mind while focusing at a market like Nepal’s. </strong><br />
				Going by experience, we divide the population of any country into quintiles which consist of 20 per cent each. We find it relevant to directly target the top three quintiles which cover the 60 per cent population. This number definitely has the ability to pay for the treatment and it can afford to go for the best treatment. The bottom 40 per cent usually faces the problem of affordability and therefore they go to the state-run hospitals. To a patient, it may be free-of-cost but to the state it does cost money. The state-run hospitals do the best they can at their end. Anything that goes beyond their capacity is sent to a laboratory like ours which again is a source of revenue for our business.<br />
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		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>You said that you enjoy a virtual monopoly. Does that mean you do not have any competition whatsoever? </strong><br />
				We do have competition. When I say we enjoy a monopoly, it is in terms of the quality of our laboratory. Any test can be performed in a number of ways, including the use of primitive techniques like studying a slide under the microscope. In fact, a lot of laboratories can perform the tests that we do. The difference is in the processes for collection, testing, and reporting because our servers preserve the data on a long term basis. We believe in providing 100 per cent guaranteed service. SRL consistently follows the best of national and international quality protocols, thereby ensuring the accuracy of every test report. The same quality and international standard protocols will also be ensured in our Kathmandu lab. This is where we have an edge and it sets us apart from other laboratories.</div>
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			<div align="justify">
				<strong>How cheaper is it going to be for the people who have been sending their samples thus far to your laboratory in India? </strong><br />
				For them, it will be at least 20 per cent cheaper as there won’t be a transportation cost. More importantly, it is the same result with the same efficiency and accuracy, only at a faster rate.</div>
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</div>',
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			'created' => '2010-12-24',
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			'description' => 'Super Religare Laboratories Ltd (SRL) and Life Care Services Pvt Ltd have started a jointventure recently to offer the Nepali public a world-class pathology lab. At a programme to mark this occasion, Dr Sanjeev K Chaudhry, the Chief Executive Officer of SRL, spoke to Nubiz about the venture and its future in Nepal. Excerpts from the interview:',
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			'id' => '99',
			'article_category_id' => '31',
			'title' => ''Banks Are Becoming More Stable With Time'',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div justify="" style="width: 595px;">
		<div>
			<div align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				<strong>"We have never announced that we would acquire any institutions in Nepal. People have approached us but we are not ready at this point of time. We are open to the idea but the political situation needs to stabilise first. Nobody will invest money in an unstable environment. and Russia.</strong>"</div>
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			<div align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				<strong>The global crisis has made everyone realise that it is not right to approach different banks for different purposes. It is better to procure as many services as possible with the same bank. The lack of relationship with a single back hit the people hard. In times of need, they were unable to get financing from the banks. There is definitely a change in the mindset of the clientele."</strong></div>
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			<div align="justify" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				<strong>Neeraj Swaroop</strong> is the Regional Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank, India and South Asia. Swaroop was recently in Kathmandu to attend the annual general meeting (AGM) of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited (SCBNL). In an interview with Nubiz, he shared his views on Nepal’s banking industry, SCBNL’s consistent performance and what banks are doing globally to remain stable in the post-crisis mode. Excerpts:</div>
		</div>
	</div>
</div>
<p>
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<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How was the performance of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited (SCBNL) in the last fi scal year? </strong><br />
			We have performed well for many years in a row. Our objective is not only to grow and register profit consistently but also to build a business which delivers the goods overall. We have seen through the crisis where many banks have not performed well. For banks, it is very easy to slip and make losses because they take undue risks. So our philosophy is to be prudent, take measured risks and show steady growth. What would you give the credit for your success over the years? We have continued to expand our products and services. This is receiving a huge patronage from the customers. The matter of pride and which is of great importance is a strong governance structure which is working very well. We are a compliant Bank. We have already been conferred the Banker of the Year 2009 Award. That was particularly pleasing for us. We also have been consistent with the quality of our portfolio for both the businesses i.e. Wholesale Banking and Consumer Banking. .</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What explains the stagnation in the bank’s deposit collection and reduction in the earning per share during the last fi scal year compared to the year before? </strong><br />
			If we keep giving bonus every year, the Earning per Share (EPS) will go down. The right comparison is to adjust the bonus share and then look at the EPS because we have not raised additional capital. If you add the bonus shares, you will see that we have steadily increased EPS every year. As far as the growth in deposits and the loans are concerned, you can refer to our balance sheet. It has grown modestly because we are careful about expanding credit in an uncertain environment.In fact, our deposits have grown and so have the loans. It is a steady growth.<br />
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			<strong>What plans does the SCBNL board have for the shareholders in the upcoming AGM?</strong><br />
			We have proposed for the AGM to approve a bonus issue of 15 per cent per 100 shares and a cash dividend of 55 per cent. I am confident that this will enthuse our shareholders a great deal.<br />
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	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Standard Chartered has indicated the willingness to acquire some BFIs in Nepal. What has been the progress so far? </strong><br />
			We have never announced that we would acquire any institutions in Nepal. People have approached us but we are not ready at this point of time. We are open to the idea but the political situation needs to stabilise first. Nobody will invest money in an unstable environment.</div>
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<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>NRB seems determined to put a cap on the salary and benefi ts enjoyed by the CEOs of the banks. Will it have any effect on your bank’s operation in particular and the banking sector in general? </strong><br />
			We expect that the Central Bank will be practical about this matter but we will wait to see what they come up with. Unfortunately, only a handful of CEOs are being investigated. I have already discussed this matter with the authorities. I think they should not have any serious objection to individuals getting a certain pay. They are basically looking at some degree of equitability. As long as this reflects the size of the business and is not incentives only, it should not be a matter to worry about. The incentive system is not only about making short term profits.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What would you give the credit for your success over the years?</strong><br />
			We have continued to expand our products and services. This is receiving a huge patronage from the customers. The matter of pride and which is of great importance is a strong governance structure which is working very well. We are a compliant Bank. We have already been conferred the Banker of the Year 2009 Award. That was particularly pleasing for us. We also have been consistent with the quality of our portfolio for both the businesses i.e. Wholesale Banking and Consumer Banking.<br />
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<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How is Standard Chartered viewing the proposed South Asian Regional Bank?</strong><br />
			I am not aware of any development to this end. It may have been proposed to promote trade or the import-export scenario. I cannot imagine a bank as such unless it is set up for a specific purpose like trade promotion, facilitating trade among the South-Asian countries etc. There has been however, some talk about financing trade. The FNCCI, too, has mentioned about having a trade corridor in a meeting.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>In Nepal the concept of branchless banks has not gained momentum, unlike in India. How do you view this? </strong><br />
			We have definitely thought about such a possibility but it is still debatable. I really cannot commit anything at this point of time. We also look at the developments in other sectors, for example telecommunications. We would like to be doubly sure before we take the plunge into this endeavour.<br />
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	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What is your overall assessment of Nepal’s banking industry? Also, is SCBNL planning to introduce any new product?</strong><br />
			At the industry level, our view is that there is tremendous prospect for growth in the long run. It has all the right ingredients for good growth. Banking Institutions always ride on the back of the economy because of the process of intermediaries. This sector is doing well not just in Nepal but in the most parts of South Asia. We are quite optimistic about the future. For us, this is a very good quality operation. We are proud that we enjoy a high reputation with our clientele. We are respected by a large section of the industry. The bank’s share prices reflect the confidence and appreciation by our shareholders and we are happy on this account. We are also proud of the quality of our governance as well as the service that we provide. We believe in long term business. Each year, we invest in increasing the number of ATMs, adding branches, inducting more staff, adding RMs and introducing new products. Once we see the economy picking up on the back of political stability, we’ll invest even more.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>In the present context of Nepal, can the banking sector do anything from India or elsewhere? </strong><br />
			Banking is one of the oldest professions in this world. There is no reason why we cannot do what others can, in different parts of the world. The building of a strong balance sheet means having the right ratios in terms of capital, liquidity and tenure. The quality of a bank’s balance sheet is the heart of its stability and performance. If you look at the Indian as well as other South Asian countries’ banking system, they survived through the crisis because of good balance sheets. Perhaps, they had learnt their lesson from the 1997 Asian crisis when over leverage of the Asian banks had resulted in weak balance sheets. As I understand, all banks in Nepal are not as prudent in the balance sheet structure as they should be. The Nepali banks must have sound balance sheets in order to stay healthy. Good balance sheets lead to good credit evaluating norms which are based on the analysis of cash flows and balance sheets of customers. The banks looking at long term operations almost always follow this mandatory process.</div>
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<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Are there new trends being set worldwide in the banking sector? </strong><br />
			I’ll not exactly call it a new trend but rather a new stage, where the banking industry is in a post-crisis mode. However, we are not feeling the crisis here. The western crisis has affected banking both from the regulators’ and the bankers’ perspectives. Greater restrictions on liquidity as well as on compliance and prudential norms by the regulators have come to the fore. Earlier, most regulators were happy with a broad principle based regulation but now they are keen on a rule-based regulation. They want to check everything because they have been criticised for the failure of the banking system. Hence, the regulators are far more careful now. One thing that has changed after the global crisis is that more banks are focusing on relationship banking now. The crisis has made everyone realise that it is not right to approach different banks for different purposes. It is better to procure as many services as possible with the same bank. The lack of relationship with a single back hit the people hard. In times of need, they were unable to get financing from the banks. There is definitely a change in the mindset of the clientele. The banking system is evolving and I think the crisis has accelerated it. On a positive note, the banks are becoming more stable with time.</div>
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</div>',
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			'created' => '2010-12-24',
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			'description' => '"We have never announced that we would acquire any institutions in Nepal. People have approached us but we are not ready at this point of time. We are open to the idea but the political situation needs to stabilise first. Nobody will invest money in an unstable environment. and Russia."',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '98',
			'article_category_id' => '31',
			'title' => 'With Nepal, Our Brand Has Now Reached 14 Countries',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 100%;">
		<strong>Muhammet Coşkun</strong> is the International Marketing Manager of Suvari, one of the most celebrated men’s wear clothing ranges from Turkey, and spread over 13 countries in the world. He was recently in Kathmandu at the opening of the Suvari showroom. The exclusive showroom was opened in association with the local partner, Mediterian Link Holdings Pvt Ltd. It is an investment company established by seasoned entrepreneurs like Akhil Chapagain, Chairperson of Akhil Trading Concerns Pvt Ltd, Kush Kumar Joshi Chairperson of FNCCI, Shukuntalal Hirachan, Chairperson of United Builders and Engineers, among others. In an interview with Nubiz, Coşkun shares how Suvari can become the first choice of fashionconscious Nepali males. Excerpts:</div>
</div>
<p>
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<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 100%;">
		<strong>We don’t categorize countries into developed or developing ones while seeking to expand our network. We have already established ourselves in Europe and Russia. </strong></div>
</div>
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<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Why do you think Nepal can be a good market for a branded wear like Suvari?</strong><br />
			I think Nepal is a good market for the suvari brand because we give the ready-made clothing to them. In Nepal, there is a trend to buy the fabric first and get it stitched from the tailor. This is sometime difficult because there might be some mistake in the measurement of the body and your whole expense goes in vain. I met one Nepali businessman today who said he bought a very expensive fabric to make a suit of his choice, but when the suit was ready it was a completely different one. He took the suit home but hasn’t worn it for a single day. With Suvari, there is no risk. We have suits available in a range of sizes. Both the fabric and tailoring are done in Turkey. The Nepali men can try the clothing and take home the exact fit.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How do you defi ne Suvari? What is the present status of this<br />
			brand in the market?</strong><br />
			Suvari is a famous men’s wear brand of Turkey. The brand was first established in 1997 as a shirt brand but as the product and brand name took height, its products range was expanded to suits, trousers, shirts, blazers and all dress accessories for men. Now we have 57 stores in Turkey. And we are always trying to expand our network by increasing the number of outlets. We are opening a new outlet every month. We have 35 stores in 13 countries outside Turkey. With Nepal, our brand has now reached 14 countries. We fully own some of our stores abroad, while for others we have local partners, for example, for our store in Katmandu, Nepal.<br />
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<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
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			<strong>How do you choose a country to open an outlet for your products?</strong><br />
			First of all, we study the market potential for our products in any country. When we are assured that the country has a good market for our brand, we decide to invest in that country. Prior to our investment in Nepal, we carried out a similar market study. We don’t categorize countries into developed or developing ones while seeking to expand our network. We have already established ourselves in Europe and Russia. And at the same time, we are successful in the Middle East and South Africa.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Do you also have women’s or kids’ wear?</strong><br />
			We are only concentrating on men’s wear because we want to specialize in this segment. Women’s and kids’ wear are very different to that of men’s. If you observe the fashion world, there are very few brands in the world that are successful in each of these segments, for example, Zara. Usually, if you cannot specialize in your work, you cannot be successful. In men’s wear we are very successful. We are not interested in the women’s or kids’ wear.<br />
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<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Talking about specialization, is your focus on the entire range of men’s wear or is it limited to some special category of clothing range?</strong><br />
			Our focus is on the classic men’s wear. We basically design clothes for businessmen and expatriates who want to wear formal dresses everyday. So we design suits for their trips, or formal meetings etc. But we intend to give them choices for their holidays. That’s why we have a range of casual wear as well. But we don’t have sportswear or other trends. Our main focus is classic wear like suits and some choices for casual wear.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What is the price range of Suvari?</strong><br />
			The price of suits ranges from Rs 13,500 to 25,000. Our shirts are all priced equally at Rs 2,000 each. But I would like to assure all Nepalis that they are getting the best clothing at this price. We do not compromise on quality. We design our clothing in accordance with the newest emerging trends. So they are not expensive for someone who understands fashion and wants to look good.<br />
			<br />
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			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>But what about the middle-class man who, too, wants to look good? Do you have any scheme to incorporate them into your customer network?</strong><br />
			Our clothing is basically targeted at the businessmen or at those who can spend a good amount of money for themselves. But again we cannot neglect the middle-class people who constitute the majority of the population. We will come up with some schemes for the middle-class men as well.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What are your future plans with Nepal? Will you work with other local partners as well?</strong><br />
			I love this country very much. This is the second time I am visiting this country but it has made a huge impact on my heart. The Nepali people are very warm and honest. So I can identify myself as a Turkish with any Nepali over here. I think Nepal and Turkey can work together in many areas. This is just a beginning. From my side, I will always try to reduce the distance between Turkey and Nepal.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>You have started with a showroom at the United World Trade Center (UWTC). Is there a plan for more showrooms?</strong><br />
			The showroom inside UWTC is our first showroom. But within six months we are planning to open another showroom inside the Kathmandu Valley. The location of the showroom is yet to be decided.<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What’s your investment in the UWTC showroom?</strong><br />
			Here we are working with a local partner, Mediterian Link Holdings Ltd. So our investment was 60 thousand US dollars only. But we are planning to increase our investment and provide more choices to the Nepali people. For this we will first see how the business goes here. If everything goes fine, we will certainly increase our investment.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="clear: both;">
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			'description' => 'We don’t categorize countries into
developed or developing ones while
seeking to expand our network. We have
already established ourselves in Europe
and Russia.',
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			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>Karl Slym, </strong>President and managing Director of General Motors India, was in Kathmandu recently to launch the Chevrolet Beat, nicknamed by the company as a global mini car. In an interview with New Business Age Slym shared the plans of GM on launching electric vehicles in South Asia, lessons learnt by the automobile industry from the global financial crisis, and growth expectations in nepal.</p>',
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			'created' => '2010-11-04',
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			'title' => '“We Have An Edge Over Other Laboratories”',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div justify="" style="width: 595px;">
		<div>
			<div align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				Super Religare Laboratories Ltd (SRL) and Life Care Services Pvt Ltd have started a jointventure recently to offer the Nepali public a world-class pathology lab. At a programme to mark this occasion, <strong>Dr Sanjeev K Chaudhry</strong>, the Chief Executive Officer of SRL, spoke to Nubiz about the venture and its future in Nepal. Excerpts from the interview:</div>
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>Could you brief us on SRL? </strong><br />
				Super Religare Laboratories (SRL) is India’s largest and one of the world’s fastest growing health care diagnostics company. SRL was the first pathology lab system in India to get quality accreditations from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), Government of India and the College of American Pathologists (CAP), USA. SRL is today approached by leading hospitals of the UK, the Middle East, the SAARC region and South East Asia for their testing needs. A large part of the decision that a doctor makes in terms of what treatment to do or how to heal a patient is based on the output of an accurate diagnosis. We are the market leaders not just in terms of geographic capability or the size of an operation but also in terms of scientific and medical capability. SRL is the only Pathology Lab Network from India to have five reference labs and over 170 labs, with a footprint spanning over 1500 collection centres. Since its inception in 1996, it has conducted over 50 million tests and today its operations have scaled up to a level where 10 million people every year repose their trust in the testing facilities of SRL.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>What kind of research did you carry out before approving this particular venture?</strong><br />
				Well, the laboratory of this nature is commercially viable if it is processing about 100 samples a day. We realised that we can price the services at this laboratory very high and make a lot of profit due to our monopoly position. However, it is not part of the “We have an edge over other laboratories” New Business Age | October 2010 25 Visiting Business People Nubiz SRL philosophy to do so. We believe in doing things correctly and at a fair price. So we have priced it very competitively in line with the market reality in Nepal. Our strategy is to seek profit through volume expansion. Since this lab is located in Kathmandu, we also had to think about the people residing outside the valley. So we have also set up sample collection centres outside the Kathmandu valley. There are already eight collection centres linked to this facility that includes Pokhara, Dharan, Janakpur, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj and Bharatpur. Over a period of time, we plan to have a 100 collection centres across Nepal.<br />
				<br />
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			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>Tell us about your foray into the Nepali market.</strong> <br />
				Being a neighbour of this country and being very closely associated culturally, socially and economically, we get a lot of people from Nepal who frequent India for treatment. There are many others who only send their samples. We perform tests on nearly about 80,000 samples and a few hundred every day from Nepal itself. So, we were convinced that coming to Nepal with a modern laboratory was always a viable proposition. This will serve not only our existing clientele here but also a large number of people who will have easy access to our laboratory here.<br />
				<br />
				<br />
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				<br />
				 </div>
		</div>
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>What is the kind of investment that you have put in your operations in Nepal? </strong><br />
				Super Religare Reference Laboratories (Nepal) Pvt Ltd is a joint venture between SLR, India and Life Care services Pvt Ltd, Nepal, which is part of a leading corporate group here led by Mr Ravi Bhakta Shrestha. We have already invested about US$ 1 million in this facility. With time, the facility will expand with more investment in its infrastructure. From the perspective of the health care industry, you need to understand that this facility is the part of a very large network. This network is connected electronically to a large number of reference laboratories across the world. For now, while it may be only a US$ 1 million investment, there is a whole SRL investment of several hundred million dollars in India and elsewhere which will be supporting the local facility here.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>How big are your operations and reach in global terms? </strong><br />
				Besides India and Nepal, we have a presence in Dubai at the Dubai Health Care City, in Mauritius, and in a couple of African countries, too. Very soon, we will be expanding to Europe and the United States as well.<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				 </div>
		</div>
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>What is the kind of expectation for growth here in Nepal that you have in mind, in the foreseeable future? </strong><br />
				At the moment, the parent company is growing at 30 to 40 per cent annually. We expect to register the same growth rate in Nepal or perhaps, even a higher rate. It would mean performing more tests and opening more collection centres. You can evaluate these things in multiple ways. We’ll look at establishing more laboratories in Kathmandu as well as other parts of Nepal once the need arises.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>Tell us about the target consumer base that you keep in mind while focusing at a market like Nepal’s. </strong><br />
				Going by experience, we divide the population of any country into quintiles which consist of 20 per cent each. We find it relevant to directly target the top three quintiles which cover the 60 per cent population. This number definitely has the ability to pay for the treatment and it can afford to go for the best treatment. The bottom 40 per cent usually faces the problem of affordability and therefore they go to the state-run hospitals. To a patient, it may be free-of-cost but to the state it does cost money. The state-run hospitals do the best they can at their end. Anything that goes beyond their capacity is sent to a laboratory like ours which again is a source of revenue for our business.<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				 </div>
		</div>
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>You said that you enjoy a virtual monopoly. Does that mean you do not have any competition whatsoever? </strong><br />
				We do have competition. When I say we enjoy a monopoly, it is in terms of the quality of our laboratory. Any test can be performed in a number of ways, including the use of primitive techniques like studying a slide under the microscope. In fact, a lot of laboratories can perform the tests that we do. The difference is in the processes for collection, testing, and reporting because our servers preserve the data on a long term basis. We believe in providing 100 per cent guaranteed service. SRL consistently follows the best of national and international quality protocols, thereby ensuring the accuracy of every test report. The same quality and international standard protocols will also be ensured in our Kathmandu lab. This is where we have an edge and it sets us apart from other laboratories.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>How cheaper is it going to be for the people who have been sending their samples thus far to your laboratory in India? </strong><br />
				For them, it will be at least 20 per cent cheaper as there won’t be a transportation cost. More importantly, it is the same result with the same efficiency and accuracy, only at a faster rate.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
</div>',
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			'created' => '2010-12-24',
			'modified' => '2010-12-31',
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			'description' => 'Super Religare Laboratories Ltd (SRL) and Life Care Services Pvt Ltd have started a jointventure recently to offer the Nepali public a world-class pathology lab. At a programme to mark this occasion, Dr Sanjeev K Chaudhry, the Chief Executive Officer of SRL, spoke to Nubiz about the venture and its future in Nepal. Excerpts from the interview:',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '99',
			'article_category_id' => '31',
			'title' => ''Banks Are Becoming More Stable With Time'',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div justify="" style="width: 595px;">
		<div>
			<div align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				<strong>"We have never announced that we would acquire any institutions in Nepal. People have approached us but we are not ready at this point of time. We are open to the idea but the political situation needs to stabilise first. Nobody will invest money in an unstable environment. and Russia.</strong>"</div>
			<br />
			<div align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				<strong>The global crisis has made everyone realise that it is not right to approach different banks for different purposes. It is better to procure as many services as possible with the same bank. The lack of relationship with a single back hit the people hard. In times of need, they were unable to get financing from the banks. There is definitely a change in the mindset of the clientele."</strong></div>
			<br />
			<div align="justify" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				<strong>Neeraj Swaroop</strong> is the Regional Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank, India and South Asia. Swaroop was recently in Kathmandu to attend the annual general meeting (AGM) of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited (SCBNL). In an interview with Nubiz, he shared his views on Nepal’s banking industry, SCBNL’s consistent performance and what banks are doing globally to remain stable in the post-crisis mode. Excerpts:</div>
		</div>
	</div>
</div>
<p>
	 </p>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How was the performance of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited (SCBNL) in the last fi scal year? </strong><br />
			We have performed well for many years in a row. Our objective is not only to grow and register profit consistently but also to build a business which delivers the goods overall. We have seen through the crisis where many banks have not performed well. For banks, it is very easy to slip and make losses because they take undue risks. So our philosophy is to be prudent, take measured risks and show steady growth. What would you give the credit for your success over the years? We have continued to expand our products and services. This is receiving a huge patronage from the customers. The matter of pride and which is of great importance is a strong governance structure which is working very well. We are a compliant Bank. We have already been conferred the Banker of the Year 2009 Award. That was particularly pleasing for us. We also have been consistent with the quality of our portfolio for both the businesses i.e. Wholesale Banking and Consumer Banking. .</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What explains the stagnation in the bank’s deposit collection and reduction in the earning per share during the last fi scal year compared to the year before? </strong><br />
			If we keep giving bonus every year, the Earning per Share (EPS) will go down. The right comparison is to adjust the bonus share and then look at the EPS because we have not raised additional capital. If you add the bonus shares, you will see that we have steadily increased EPS every year. As far as the growth in deposits and the loans are concerned, you can refer to our balance sheet. It has grown modestly because we are careful about expanding credit in an uncertain environment.In fact, our deposits have grown and so have the loans. It is a steady growth.<br />
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</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What plans does the SCBNL board have for the shareholders in the upcoming AGM?</strong><br />
			We have proposed for the AGM to approve a bonus issue of 15 per cent per 100 shares and a cash dividend of 55 per cent. I am confident that this will enthuse our shareholders a great deal.<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Standard Chartered has indicated the willingness to acquire some BFIs in Nepal. What has been the progress so far? </strong><br />
			We have never announced that we would acquire any institutions in Nepal. People have approached us but we are not ready at this point of time. We are open to the idea but the political situation needs to stabilise first. Nobody will invest money in an unstable environment.</div>
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		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>NRB seems determined to put a cap on the salary and benefi ts enjoyed by the CEOs of the banks. Will it have any effect on your bank’s operation in particular and the banking sector in general? </strong><br />
			We expect that the Central Bank will be practical about this matter but we will wait to see what they come up with. Unfortunately, only a handful of CEOs are being investigated. I have already discussed this matter with the authorities. I think they should not have any serious objection to individuals getting a certain pay. They are basically looking at some degree of equitability. As long as this reflects the size of the business and is not incentives only, it should not be a matter to worry about. The incentive system is not only about making short term profits.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What would you give the credit for your success over the years?</strong><br />
			We have continued to expand our products and services. This is receiving a huge patronage from the customers. The matter of pride and which is of great importance is a strong governance structure which is working very well. We are a compliant Bank. We have already been conferred the Banker of the Year 2009 Award. That was particularly pleasing for us. We also have been consistent with the quality of our portfolio for both the businesses i.e. Wholesale Banking and Consumer Banking.<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How is Standard Chartered viewing the proposed South Asian Regional Bank?</strong><br />
			I am not aware of any development to this end. It may have been proposed to promote trade or the import-export scenario. I cannot imagine a bank as such unless it is set up for a specific purpose like trade promotion, facilitating trade among the South-Asian countries etc. There has been however, some talk about financing trade. The FNCCI, too, has mentioned about having a trade corridor in a meeting.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>In Nepal the concept of branchless banks has not gained momentum, unlike in India. How do you view this? </strong><br />
			We have definitely thought about such a possibility but it is still debatable. I really cannot commit anything at this point of time. We also look at the developments in other sectors, for example telecommunications. We would like to be doubly sure before we take the plunge into this endeavour.<br />
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		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What is your overall assessment of Nepal’s banking industry? Also, is SCBNL planning to introduce any new product?</strong><br />
			At the industry level, our view is that there is tremendous prospect for growth in the long run. It has all the right ingredients for good growth. Banking Institutions always ride on the back of the economy because of the process of intermediaries. This sector is doing well not just in Nepal but in the most parts of South Asia. We are quite optimistic about the future. For us, this is a very good quality operation. We are proud that we enjoy a high reputation with our clientele. We are respected by a large section of the industry. The bank’s share prices reflect the confidence and appreciation by our shareholders and we are happy on this account. We are also proud of the quality of our governance as well as the service that we provide. We believe in long term business. Each year, we invest in increasing the number of ATMs, adding branches, inducting more staff, adding RMs and introducing new products. Once we see the economy picking up on the back of political stability, we’ll invest even more.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>In the present context of Nepal, can the banking sector do anything from India or elsewhere? </strong><br />
			Banking is one of the oldest professions in this world. There is no reason why we cannot do what others can, in different parts of the world. The building of a strong balance sheet means having the right ratios in terms of capital, liquidity and tenure. The quality of a bank’s balance sheet is the heart of its stability and performance. If you look at the Indian as well as other South Asian countries’ banking system, they survived through the crisis because of good balance sheets. Perhaps, they had learnt their lesson from the 1997 Asian crisis when over leverage of the Asian banks had resulted in weak balance sheets. As I understand, all banks in Nepal are not as prudent in the balance sheet structure as they should be. The Nepali banks must have sound balance sheets in order to stay healthy. Good balance sheets lead to good credit evaluating norms which are based on the analysis of cash flows and balance sheets of customers. The banks looking at long term operations almost always follow this mandatory process.</div>
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		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Are there new trends being set worldwide in the banking sector? </strong><br />
			I’ll not exactly call it a new trend but rather a new stage, where the banking industry is in a post-crisis mode. However, we are not feeling the crisis here. The western crisis has affected banking both from the regulators’ and the bankers’ perspectives. Greater restrictions on liquidity as well as on compliance and prudential norms by the regulators have come to the fore. Earlier, most regulators were happy with a broad principle based regulation but now they are keen on a rule-based regulation. They want to check everything because they have been criticised for the failure of the banking system. Hence, the regulators are far more careful now. One thing that has changed after the global crisis is that more banks are focusing on relationship banking now. The crisis has made everyone realise that it is not right to approach different banks for different purposes. It is better to procure as many services as possible with the same bank. The lack of relationship with a single back hit the people hard. In times of need, they were unable to get financing from the banks. There is definitely a change in the mindset of the clientele. The banking system is evolving and I think the crisis has accelerated it. On a positive note, the banks are becoming more stable with time.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2010-12-24',
			'modified' => '2010-12-24',
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			'description' => '"We have never announced that we would acquire any institutions in Nepal. People have approached us but we are not ready at this point of time. We are open to the idea but the political situation needs to stabilise first. Nobody will invest money in an unstable environment. and Russia."',
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			'id' => '98',
			'article_category_id' => '31',
			'title' => 'With Nepal, Our Brand Has Now Reached 14 Countries',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 100%;">
		<strong>Muhammet Coşkun</strong> is the International Marketing Manager of Suvari, one of the most celebrated men’s wear clothing ranges from Turkey, and spread over 13 countries in the world. He was recently in Kathmandu at the opening of the Suvari showroom. The exclusive showroom was opened in association with the local partner, Mediterian Link Holdings Pvt Ltd. It is an investment company established by seasoned entrepreneurs like Akhil Chapagain, Chairperson of Akhil Trading Concerns Pvt Ltd, Kush Kumar Joshi Chairperson of FNCCI, Shukuntalal Hirachan, Chairperson of United Builders and Engineers, among others. In an interview with Nubiz, Coşkun shares how Suvari can become the first choice of fashionconscious Nepali males. Excerpts:</div>
</div>
<p>
	 </p>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 100%;">
		<strong>We don’t categorize countries into developed or developing ones while seeking to expand our network. We have already established ourselves in Europe and Russia. </strong></div>
</div>
<p>
	 </p>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Why do you think Nepal can be a good market for a branded wear like Suvari?</strong><br />
			I think Nepal is a good market for the suvari brand because we give the ready-made clothing to them. In Nepal, there is a trend to buy the fabric first and get it stitched from the tailor. This is sometime difficult because there might be some mistake in the measurement of the body and your whole expense goes in vain. I met one Nepali businessman today who said he bought a very expensive fabric to make a suit of his choice, but when the suit was ready it was a completely different one. He took the suit home but hasn’t worn it for a single day. With Suvari, there is no risk. We have suits available in a range of sizes. Both the fabric and tailoring are done in Turkey. The Nepali men can try the clothing and take home the exact fit.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How do you defi ne Suvari? What is the present status of this<br />
			brand in the market?</strong><br />
			Suvari is a famous men’s wear brand of Turkey. The brand was first established in 1997 as a shirt brand but as the product and brand name took height, its products range was expanded to suits, trousers, shirts, blazers and all dress accessories for men. Now we have 57 stores in Turkey. And we are always trying to expand our network by increasing the number of outlets. We are opening a new outlet every month. We have 35 stores in 13 countries outside Turkey. With Nepal, our brand has now reached 14 countries. We fully own some of our stores abroad, while for others we have local partners, for example, for our store in Katmandu, Nepal.<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How do you choose a country to open an outlet for your products?</strong><br />
			First of all, we study the market potential for our products in any country. When we are assured that the country has a good market for our brand, we decide to invest in that country. Prior to our investment in Nepal, we carried out a similar market study. We don’t categorize countries into developed or developing ones while seeking to expand our network. We have already established ourselves in Europe and Russia. And at the same time, we are successful in the Middle East and South Africa.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Do you also have women’s or kids’ wear?</strong><br />
			We are only concentrating on men’s wear because we want to specialize in this segment. Women’s and kids’ wear are very different to that of men’s. If you observe the fashion world, there are very few brands in the world that are successful in each of these segments, for example, Zara. Usually, if you cannot specialize in your work, you cannot be successful. In men’s wear we are very successful. We are not interested in the women’s or kids’ wear.<br />
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<p>
	 </p>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Talking about specialization, is your focus on the entire range of men’s wear or is it limited to some special category of clothing range?</strong><br />
			Our focus is on the classic men’s wear. We basically design clothes for businessmen and expatriates who want to wear formal dresses everyday. So we design suits for their trips, or formal meetings etc. But we intend to give them choices for their holidays. That’s why we have a range of casual wear as well. But we don’t have sportswear or other trends. Our main focus is classic wear like suits and some choices for casual wear.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What is the price range of Suvari?</strong><br />
			The price of suits ranges from Rs 13,500 to 25,000. Our shirts are all priced equally at Rs 2,000 each. But I would like to assure all Nepalis that they are getting the best clothing at this price. We do not compromise on quality. We design our clothing in accordance with the newest emerging trends. So they are not expensive for someone who understands fashion and wants to look good.<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>But what about the middle-class man who, too, wants to look good? Do you have any scheme to incorporate them into your customer network?</strong><br />
			Our clothing is basically targeted at the businessmen or at those who can spend a good amount of money for themselves. But again we cannot neglect the middle-class people who constitute the majority of the population. We will come up with some schemes for the middle-class men as well.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What are your future plans with Nepal? Will you work with other local partners as well?</strong><br />
			I love this country very much. This is the second time I am visiting this country but it has made a huge impact on my heart. The Nepali people are very warm and honest. So I can identify myself as a Turkish with any Nepali over here. I think Nepal and Turkey can work together in many areas. This is just a beginning. From my side, I will always try to reduce the distance between Turkey and Nepal.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>You have started with a showroom at the United World Trade Center (UWTC). Is there a plan for more showrooms?</strong><br />
			The showroom inside UWTC is our first showroom. But within six months we are planning to open another showroom inside the Kathmandu Valley. The location of the showroom is yet to be decided.<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What’s your investment in the UWTC showroom?</strong><br />
			Here we are working with a local partner, Mediterian Link Holdings Ltd. So our investment was 60 thousand US dollars only. But we are planning to increase our investment and provide more choices to the Nepali people. For this we will first see how the business goes here. If everything goes fine, we will certainly increase our investment.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
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			'description' => 'We don’t categorize countries into
developed or developing ones while
seeking to expand our network. We have
already established ourselves in Europe
and Russia.',
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			'title' => 'Last Years GM Sales In Nepal Grew By 260%',
			'sub_title' => '',
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			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>Karl Slym, </strong>President and managing Director of General Motors India, was in Kathmandu recently to launch the Chevrolet Beat, nicknamed by the company as a global mini car. In an interview with New Business Age Slym shared the plans of GM on launching electric vehicles in South Asia, lessons learnt by the automobile industry from the global financial crisis, and growth expectations in nepal.</p>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2010-11-04',
			'modified' => '2010-11-11',
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			'description' => 'Karl Slym, President and managing Director of General Motors India, was in Kathmandu recently to launch the Chevrolet Beat, nicknamed by the company as a global mini car.',
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			'title' => '“We Have An Edge Over Other Laboratories”',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div justify="" style="width: 595px;">
		<div>
			<div align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				Super Religare Laboratories Ltd (SRL) and Life Care Services Pvt Ltd have started a jointventure recently to offer the Nepali public a world-class pathology lab. At a programme to mark this occasion, <strong>Dr Sanjeev K Chaudhry</strong>, the Chief Executive Officer of SRL, spoke to Nubiz about the venture and its future in Nepal. Excerpts from the interview:</div>
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>Could you brief us on SRL? </strong><br />
				Super Religare Laboratories (SRL) is India’s largest and one of the world’s fastest growing health care diagnostics company. SRL was the first pathology lab system in India to get quality accreditations from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), Government of India and the College of American Pathologists (CAP), USA. SRL is today approached by leading hospitals of the UK, the Middle East, the SAARC region and South East Asia for their testing needs. A large part of the decision that a doctor makes in terms of what treatment to do or how to heal a patient is based on the output of an accurate diagnosis. We are the market leaders not just in terms of geographic capability or the size of an operation but also in terms of scientific and medical capability. SRL is the only Pathology Lab Network from India to have five reference labs and over 170 labs, with a footprint spanning over 1500 collection centres. Since its inception in 1996, it has conducted over 50 million tests and today its operations have scaled up to a level where 10 million people every year repose their trust in the testing facilities of SRL.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>What kind of research did you carry out before approving this particular venture?</strong><br />
				Well, the laboratory of this nature is commercially viable if it is processing about 100 samples a day. We realised that we can price the services at this laboratory very high and make a lot of profit due to our monopoly position. However, it is not part of the “We have an edge over other laboratories” New Business Age | October 2010 25 Visiting Business People Nubiz SRL philosophy to do so. We believe in doing things correctly and at a fair price. So we have priced it very competitively in line with the market reality in Nepal. Our strategy is to seek profit through volume expansion. Since this lab is located in Kathmandu, we also had to think about the people residing outside the valley. So we have also set up sample collection centres outside the Kathmandu valley. There are already eight collection centres linked to this facility that includes Pokhara, Dharan, Janakpur, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj and Bharatpur. Over a period of time, we plan to have a 100 collection centres across Nepal.<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				 </div>
		</div>
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>Tell us about your foray into the Nepali market.</strong> <br />
				Being a neighbour of this country and being very closely associated culturally, socially and economically, we get a lot of people from Nepal who frequent India for treatment. There are many others who only send their samples. We perform tests on nearly about 80,000 samples and a few hundred every day from Nepal itself. So, we were convinced that coming to Nepal with a modern laboratory was always a viable proposition. This will serve not only our existing clientele here but also a large number of people who will have easy access to our laboratory here.<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				 </div>
		</div>
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>What is the kind of investment that you have put in your operations in Nepal? </strong><br />
				Super Religare Reference Laboratories (Nepal) Pvt Ltd is a joint venture between SLR, India and Life Care services Pvt Ltd, Nepal, which is part of a leading corporate group here led by Mr Ravi Bhakta Shrestha. We have already invested about US$ 1 million in this facility. With time, the facility will expand with more investment in its infrastructure. From the perspective of the health care industry, you need to understand that this facility is the part of a very large network. This network is connected electronically to a large number of reference laboratories across the world. For now, while it may be only a US$ 1 million investment, there is a whole SRL investment of several hundred million dollars in India and elsewhere which will be supporting the local facility here.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>How big are your operations and reach in global terms? </strong><br />
				Besides India and Nepal, we have a presence in Dubai at the Dubai Health Care City, in Mauritius, and in a couple of African countries, too. Very soon, we will be expanding to Europe and the United States as well.<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				 </div>
		</div>
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>What is the kind of expectation for growth here in Nepal that you have in mind, in the foreseeable future? </strong><br />
				At the moment, the parent company is growing at 30 to 40 per cent annually. We expect to register the same growth rate in Nepal or perhaps, even a higher rate. It would mean performing more tests and opening more collection centres. You can evaluate these things in multiple ways. We’ll look at establishing more laboratories in Kathmandu as well as other parts of Nepal once the need arises.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>Tell us about the target consumer base that you keep in mind while focusing at a market like Nepal’s. </strong><br />
				Going by experience, we divide the population of any country into quintiles which consist of 20 per cent each. We find it relevant to directly target the top three quintiles which cover the 60 per cent population. This number definitely has the ability to pay for the treatment and it can afford to go for the best treatment. The bottom 40 per cent usually faces the problem of affordability and therefore they go to the state-run hospitals. To a patient, it may be free-of-cost but to the state it does cost money. The state-run hospitals do the best they can at their end. Anything that goes beyond their capacity is sent to a laboratory like ours which again is a source of revenue for our business.<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				 </div>
		</div>
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>You said that you enjoy a virtual monopoly. Does that mean you do not have any competition whatsoever? </strong><br />
				We do have competition. When I say we enjoy a monopoly, it is in terms of the quality of our laboratory. Any test can be performed in a number of ways, including the use of primitive techniques like studying a slide under the microscope. In fact, a lot of laboratories can perform the tests that we do. The difference is in the processes for collection, testing, and reporting because our servers preserve the data on a long term basis. We believe in providing 100 per cent guaranteed service. SRL consistently follows the best of national and international quality protocols, thereby ensuring the accuracy of every test report. The same quality and international standard protocols will also be ensured in our Kathmandu lab. This is where we have an edge and it sets us apart from other laboratories.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>How cheaper is it going to be for the people who have been sending their samples thus far to your laboratory in India? </strong><br />
				For them, it will be at least 20 per cent cheaper as there won’t be a transportation cost. More importantly, it is the same result with the same efficiency and accuracy, only at a faster rate.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
</div>',
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			'id' => '99',
			'article_category_id' => '31',
			'title' => ''Banks Are Becoming More Stable With Time'',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div justify="" style="width: 595px;">
		<div>
			<div align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				<strong>"We have never announced that we would acquire any institutions in Nepal. People have approached us but we are not ready at this point of time. We are open to the idea but the political situation needs to stabilise first. Nobody will invest money in an unstable environment. and Russia.</strong>"</div>
			<br />
			<div align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				<strong>The global crisis has made everyone realise that it is not right to approach different banks for different purposes. It is better to procure as many services as possible with the same bank. The lack of relationship with a single back hit the people hard. In times of need, they were unable to get financing from the banks. There is definitely a change in the mindset of the clientele."</strong></div>
			<br />
			<div align="justify" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				<strong>Neeraj Swaroop</strong> is the Regional Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank, India and South Asia. Swaroop was recently in Kathmandu to attend the annual general meeting (AGM) of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited (SCBNL). In an interview with Nubiz, he shared his views on Nepal’s banking industry, SCBNL’s consistent performance and what banks are doing globally to remain stable in the post-crisis mode. Excerpts:</div>
		</div>
	</div>
</div>
<p>
	 </p>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How was the performance of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited (SCBNL) in the last fi scal year? </strong><br />
			We have performed well for many years in a row. Our objective is not only to grow and register profit consistently but also to build a business which delivers the goods overall. We have seen through the crisis where many banks have not performed well. For banks, it is very easy to slip and make losses because they take undue risks. So our philosophy is to be prudent, take measured risks and show steady growth. What would you give the credit for your success over the years? We have continued to expand our products and services. This is receiving a huge patronage from the customers. The matter of pride and which is of great importance is a strong governance structure which is working very well. We are a compliant Bank. We have already been conferred the Banker of the Year 2009 Award. That was particularly pleasing for us. We also have been consistent with the quality of our portfolio for both the businesses i.e. Wholesale Banking and Consumer Banking. .</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What explains the stagnation in the bank’s deposit collection and reduction in the earning per share during the last fi scal year compared to the year before? </strong><br />
			If we keep giving bonus every year, the Earning per Share (EPS) will go down. The right comparison is to adjust the bonus share and then look at the EPS because we have not raised additional capital. If you add the bonus shares, you will see that we have steadily increased EPS every year. As far as the growth in deposits and the loans are concerned, you can refer to our balance sheet. It has grown modestly because we are careful about expanding credit in an uncertain environment.In fact, our deposits have grown and so have the loans. It is a steady growth.<br />
			<br />
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</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What plans does the SCBNL board have for the shareholders in the upcoming AGM?</strong><br />
			We have proposed for the AGM to approve a bonus issue of 15 per cent per 100 shares and a cash dividend of 55 per cent. I am confident that this will enthuse our shareholders a great deal.<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Standard Chartered has indicated the willingness to acquire some BFIs in Nepal. What has been the progress so far? </strong><br />
			We have never announced that we would acquire any institutions in Nepal. People have approached us but we are not ready at this point of time. We are open to the idea but the political situation needs to stabilise first. Nobody will invest money in an unstable environment.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>NRB seems determined to put a cap on the salary and benefi ts enjoyed by the CEOs of the banks. Will it have any effect on your bank’s operation in particular and the banking sector in general? </strong><br />
			We expect that the Central Bank will be practical about this matter but we will wait to see what they come up with. Unfortunately, only a handful of CEOs are being investigated. I have already discussed this matter with the authorities. I think they should not have any serious objection to individuals getting a certain pay. They are basically looking at some degree of equitability. As long as this reflects the size of the business and is not incentives only, it should not be a matter to worry about. The incentive system is not only about making short term profits.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What would you give the credit for your success over the years?</strong><br />
			We have continued to expand our products and services. This is receiving a huge patronage from the customers. The matter of pride and which is of great importance is a strong governance structure which is working very well. We are a compliant Bank. We have already been conferred the Banker of the Year 2009 Award. That was particularly pleasing for us. We also have been consistent with the quality of our portfolio for both the businesses i.e. Wholesale Banking and Consumer Banking.<br />
			<br />
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		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How is Standard Chartered viewing the proposed South Asian Regional Bank?</strong><br />
			I am not aware of any development to this end. It may have been proposed to promote trade or the import-export scenario. I cannot imagine a bank as such unless it is set up for a specific purpose like trade promotion, facilitating trade among the South-Asian countries etc. There has been however, some talk about financing trade. The FNCCI, too, has mentioned about having a trade corridor in a meeting.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>In Nepal the concept of branchless banks has not gained momentum, unlike in India. How do you view this? </strong><br />
			We have definitely thought about such a possibility but it is still debatable. I really cannot commit anything at this point of time. We also look at the developments in other sectors, for example telecommunications. We would like to be doubly sure before we take the plunge into this endeavour.<br />
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			 </div>
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		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What is your overall assessment of Nepal’s banking industry? Also, is SCBNL planning to introduce any new product?</strong><br />
			At the industry level, our view is that there is tremendous prospect for growth in the long run. It has all the right ingredients for good growth. Banking Institutions always ride on the back of the economy because of the process of intermediaries. This sector is doing well not just in Nepal but in the most parts of South Asia. We are quite optimistic about the future. For us, this is a very good quality operation. We are proud that we enjoy a high reputation with our clientele. We are respected by a large section of the industry. The bank’s share prices reflect the confidence and appreciation by our shareholders and we are happy on this account. We are also proud of the quality of our governance as well as the service that we provide. We believe in long term business. Each year, we invest in increasing the number of ATMs, adding branches, inducting more staff, adding RMs and introducing new products. Once we see the economy picking up on the back of political stability, we’ll invest even more.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>In the present context of Nepal, can the banking sector do anything from India or elsewhere? </strong><br />
			Banking is one of the oldest professions in this world. There is no reason why we cannot do what others can, in different parts of the world. The building of a strong balance sheet means having the right ratios in terms of capital, liquidity and tenure. The quality of a bank’s balance sheet is the heart of its stability and performance. If you look at the Indian as well as other South Asian countries’ banking system, they survived through the crisis because of good balance sheets. Perhaps, they had learnt their lesson from the 1997 Asian crisis when over leverage of the Asian banks had resulted in weak balance sheets. As I understand, all banks in Nepal are not as prudent in the balance sheet structure as they should be. The Nepali banks must have sound balance sheets in order to stay healthy. Good balance sheets lead to good credit evaluating norms which are based on the analysis of cash flows and balance sheets of customers. The banks looking at long term operations almost always follow this mandatory process.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Are there new trends being set worldwide in the banking sector? </strong><br />
			I’ll not exactly call it a new trend but rather a new stage, where the banking industry is in a post-crisis mode. However, we are not feeling the crisis here. The western crisis has affected banking both from the regulators’ and the bankers’ perspectives. Greater restrictions on liquidity as well as on compliance and prudential norms by the regulators have come to the fore. Earlier, most regulators were happy with a broad principle based regulation but now they are keen on a rule-based regulation. They want to check everything because they have been criticised for the failure of the banking system. Hence, the regulators are far more careful now. One thing that has changed after the global crisis is that more banks are focusing on relationship banking now. The crisis has made everyone realise that it is not right to approach different banks for different purposes. It is better to procure as many services as possible with the same bank. The lack of relationship with a single back hit the people hard. In times of need, they were unable to get financing from the banks. There is definitely a change in the mindset of the clientele. The banking system is evolving and I think the crisis has accelerated it. On a positive note, the banks are becoming more stable with time.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2010-12-24',
			'modified' => '2010-12-24',
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			'description' => '"We have never announced that we would acquire any institutions in Nepal. People have approached us but we are not ready at this point of time. We are open to the idea but the political situation needs to stabilise first. Nobody will invest money in an unstable environment. and Russia."',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '98',
			'article_category_id' => '31',
			'title' => 'With Nepal, Our Brand Has Now Reached 14 Countries',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 100%;">
		<strong>Muhammet Coşkun</strong> is the International Marketing Manager of Suvari, one of the most celebrated men’s wear clothing ranges from Turkey, and spread over 13 countries in the world. He was recently in Kathmandu at the opening of the Suvari showroom. The exclusive showroom was opened in association with the local partner, Mediterian Link Holdings Pvt Ltd. It is an investment company established by seasoned entrepreneurs like Akhil Chapagain, Chairperson of Akhil Trading Concerns Pvt Ltd, Kush Kumar Joshi Chairperson of FNCCI, Shukuntalal Hirachan, Chairperson of United Builders and Engineers, among others. In an interview with Nubiz, Coşkun shares how Suvari can become the first choice of fashionconscious Nepali males. Excerpts:</div>
</div>
<p>
	 </p>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 100%;">
		<strong>We don’t categorize countries into developed or developing ones while seeking to expand our network. We have already established ourselves in Europe and Russia. </strong></div>
</div>
<p>
	 </p>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Why do you think Nepal can be a good market for a branded wear like Suvari?</strong><br />
			I think Nepal is a good market for the suvari brand because we give the ready-made clothing to them. In Nepal, there is a trend to buy the fabric first and get it stitched from the tailor. This is sometime difficult because there might be some mistake in the measurement of the body and your whole expense goes in vain. I met one Nepali businessman today who said he bought a very expensive fabric to make a suit of his choice, but when the suit was ready it was a completely different one. He took the suit home but hasn’t worn it for a single day. With Suvari, there is no risk. We have suits available in a range of sizes. Both the fabric and tailoring are done in Turkey. The Nepali men can try the clothing and take home the exact fit.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How do you defi ne Suvari? What is the present status of this<br />
			brand in the market?</strong><br />
			Suvari is a famous men’s wear brand of Turkey. The brand was first established in 1997 as a shirt brand but as the product and brand name took height, its products range was expanded to suits, trousers, shirts, blazers and all dress accessories for men. Now we have 57 stores in Turkey. And we are always trying to expand our network by increasing the number of outlets. We are opening a new outlet every month. We have 35 stores in 13 countries outside Turkey. With Nepal, our brand has now reached 14 countries. We fully own some of our stores abroad, while for others we have local partners, for example, for our store in Katmandu, Nepal.<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How do you choose a country to open an outlet for your products?</strong><br />
			First of all, we study the market potential for our products in any country. When we are assured that the country has a good market for our brand, we decide to invest in that country. Prior to our investment in Nepal, we carried out a similar market study. We don’t categorize countries into developed or developing ones while seeking to expand our network. We have already established ourselves in Europe and Russia. And at the same time, we are successful in the Middle East and South Africa.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Do you also have women’s or kids’ wear?</strong><br />
			We are only concentrating on men’s wear because we want to specialize in this segment. Women’s and kids’ wear are very different to that of men’s. If you observe the fashion world, there are very few brands in the world that are successful in each of these segments, for example, Zara. Usually, if you cannot specialize in your work, you cannot be successful. In men’s wear we are very successful. We are not interested in the women’s or kids’ wear.<br />
			<br />
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	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<p>
	 </p>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Talking about specialization, is your focus on the entire range of men’s wear or is it limited to some special category of clothing range?</strong><br />
			Our focus is on the classic men’s wear. We basically design clothes for businessmen and expatriates who want to wear formal dresses everyday. So we design suits for their trips, or formal meetings etc. But we intend to give them choices for their holidays. That’s why we have a range of casual wear as well. But we don’t have sportswear or other trends. Our main focus is classic wear like suits and some choices for casual wear.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What is the price range of Suvari?</strong><br />
			The price of suits ranges from Rs 13,500 to 25,000. Our shirts are all priced equally at Rs 2,000 each. But I would like to assure all Nepalis that they are getting the best clothing at this price. We do not compromise on quality. We design our clothing in accordance with the newest emerging trends. So they are not expensive for someone who understands fashion and wants to look good.<br />
			<br />
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	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>But what about the middle-class man who, too, wants to look good? Do you have any scheme to incorporate them into your customer network?</strong><br />
			Our clothing is basically targeted at the businessmen or at those who can spend a good amount of money for themselves. But again we cannot neglect the middle-class people who constitute the majority of the population. We will come up with some schemes for the middle-class men as well.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What are your future plans with Nepal? Will you work with other local partners as well?</strong><br />
			I love this country very much. This is the second time I am visiting this country but it has made a huge impact on my heart. The Nepali people are very warm and honest. So I can identify myself as a Turkish with any Nepali over here. I think Nepal and Turkey can work together in many areas. This is just a beginning. From my side, I will always try to reduce the distance between Turkey and Nepal.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>You have started with a showroom at the United World Trade Center (UWTC). Is there a plan for more showrooms?</strong><br />
			The showroom inside UWTC is our first showroom. But within six months we are planning to open another showroom inside the Kathmandu Valley. The location of the showroom is yet to be decided.<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What’s your investment in the UWTC showroom?</strong><br />
			Here we are working with a local partner, Mediterian Link Holdings Ltd. So our investment was 60 thousand US dollars only. But we are planning to increase our investment and provide more choices to the Nepali people. For this we will first see how the business goes here. If everything goes fine, we will certainly increase our investment.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="clear: both;">
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			'description' => 'We don’t categorize countries into
developed or developing ones while
seeking to expand our network. We have
already established ourselves in Europe
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			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>Karl Slym, </strong>President and managing Director of General Motors India, was in Kathmandu recently to launch the Chevrolet Beat, nicknamed by the company as a global mini car. In an interview with New Business Age Slym shared the plans of GM on launching electric vehicles in South Asia, lessons learnt by the automobile industry from the global financial crisis, and growth expectations in nepal.</p>',
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			'created' => '2010-11-04',
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			'description' => 'Karl Slym, President and managing Director of General Motors India, was in Kathmandu recently to launch the Chevrolet Beat, nicknamed by the company as a global mini car.',
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			'id' => '100',
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			'title' => '“We Have An Edge Over Other Laboratories”',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div justify="" style="width: 595px;">
		<div>
			<div align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				Super Religare Laboratories Ltd (SRL) and Life Care Services Pvt Ltd have started a jointventure recently to offer the Nepali public a world-class pathology lab. At a programme to mark this occasion, <strong>Dr Sanjeev K Chaudhry</strong>, the Chief Executive Officer of SRL, spoke to Nubiz about the venture and its future in Nepal. Excerpts from the interview:</div>
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>Could you brief us on SRL? </strong><br />
				Super Religare Laboratories (SRL) is India’s largest and one of the world’s fastest growing health care diagnostics company. SRL was the first pathology lab system in India to get quality accreditations from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), Government of India and the College of American Pathologists (CAP), USA. SRL is today approached by leading hospitals of the UK, the Middle East, the SAARC region and South East Asia for their testing needs. A large part of the decision that a doctor makes in terms of what treatment to do or how to heal a patient is based on the output of an accurate diagnosis. We are the market leaders not just in terms of geographic capability or the size of an operation but also in terms of scientific and medical capability. SRL is the only Pathology Lab Network from India to have five reference labs and over 170 labs, with a footprint spanning over 1500 collection centres. Since its inception in 1996, it has conducted over 50 million tests and today its operations have scaled up to a level where 10 million people every year repose their trust in the testing facilities of SRL.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>What kind of research did you carry out before approving this particular venture?</strong><br />
				Well, the laboratory of this nature is commercially viable if it is processing about 100 samples a day. We realised that we can price the services at this laboratory very high and make a lot of profit due to our monopoly position. However, it is not part of the “We have an edge over other laboratories” New Business Age | October 2010 25 Visiting Business People Nubiz SRL philosophy to do so. We believe in doing things correctly and at a fair price. So we have priced it very competitively in line with the market reality in Nepal. Our strategy is to seek profit through volume expansion. Since this lab is located in Kathmandu, we also had to think about the people residing outside the valley. So we have also set up sample collection centres outside the Kathmandu valley. There are already eight collection centres linked to this facility that includes Pokhara, Dharan, Janakpur, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj and Bharatpur. Over a period of time, we plan to have a 100 collection centres across Nepal.<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				 </div>
		</div>
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>Tell us about your foray into the Nepali market.</strong> <br />
				Being a neighbour of this country and being very closely associated culturally, socially and economically, we get a lot of people from Nepal who frequent India for treatment. There are many others who only send their samples. We perform tests on nearly about 80,000 samples and a few hundred every day from Nepal itself. So, we were convinced that coming to Nepal with a modern laboratory was always a viable proposition. This will serve not only our existing clientele here but also a large number of people who will have easy access to our laboratory here.<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				 </div>
		</div>
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>What is the kind of investment that you have put in your operations in Nepal? </strong><br />
				Super Religare Reference Laboratories (Nepal) Pvt Ltd is a joint venture between SLR, India and Life Care services Pvt Ltd, Nepal, which is part of a leading corporate group here led by Mr Ravi Bhakta Shrestha. We have already invested about US$ 1 million in this facility. With time, the facility will expand with more investment in its infrastructure. From the perspective of the health care industry, you need to understand that this facility is the part of a very large network. This network is connected electronically to a large number of reference laboratories across the world. For now, while it may be only a US$ 1 million investment, there is a whole SRL investment of several hundred million dollars in India and elsewhere which will be supporting the local facility here.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>How big are your operations and reach in global terms? </strong><br />
				Besides India and Nepal, we have a presence in Dubai at the Dubai Health Care City, in Mauritius, and in a couple of African countries, too. Very soon, we will be expanding to Europe and the United States as well.<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				 </div>
		</div>
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>What is the kind of expectation for growth here in Nepal that you have in mind, in the foreseeable future? </strong><br />
				At the moment, the parent company is growing at 30 to 40 per cent annually. We expect to register the same growth rate in Nepal or perhaps, even a higher rate. It would mean performing more tests and opening more collection centres. You can evaluate these things in multiple ways. We’ll look at establishing more laboratories in Kathmandu as well as other parts of Nepal once the need arises.</div>
		</div>
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			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>Tell us about the target consumer base that you keep in mind while focusing at a market like Nepal’s. </strong><br />
				Going by experience, we divide the population of any country into quintiles which consist of 20 per cent each. We find it relevant to directly target the top three quintiles which cover the 60 per cent population. This number definitely has the ability to pay for the treatment and it can afford to go for the best treatment. The bottom 40 per cent usually faces the problem of affordability and therefore they go to the state-run hospitals. To a patient, it may be free-of-cost but to the state it does cost money. The state-run hospitals do the best they can at their end. Anything that goes beyond their capacity is sent to a laboratory like ours which again is a source of revenue for our business.<br />
				<br />
				<br />
				 </div>
		</div>
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>You said that you enjoy a virtual monopoly. Does that mean you do not have any competition whatsoever? </strong><br />
				We do have competition. When I say we enjoy a monopoly, it is in terms of the quality of our laboratory. Any test can be performed in a number of ways, including the use of primitive techniques like studying a slide under the microscope. In fact, a lot of laboratories can perform the tests that we do. The difference is in the processes for collection, testing, and reporting because our servers preserve the data on a long term basis. We believe in providing 100 per cent guaranteed service. SRL consistently follows the best of national and international quality protocols, thereby ensuring the accuracy of every test report. The same quality and international standard protocols will also be ensured in our Kathmandu lab. This is where we have an edge and it sets us apart from other laboratories.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
			<div align="justify">
				<strong>How cheaper is it going to be for the people who have been sending their samples thus far to your laboratory in India? </strong><br />
				For them, it will be at least 20 per cent cheaper as there won’t be a transportation cost. More importantly, it is the same result with the same efficiency and accuracy, only at a faster rate.</div>
		</div>
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="width: 595px;">
		<div style="clear: both;">
			 </div>
	</div>
</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2010-12-24',
			'modified' => '2010-12-31',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => 'Super Religare Laboratories Ltd (SRL) and Life Care Services Pvt Ltd have started a jointventure recently to offer the Nepali public a world-class pathology lab. At a programme to mark this occasion, Dr Sanjeev K Chaudhry, the Chief Executive Officer of SRL, spoke to Nubiz about the venture and its future in Nepal. Excerpts from the interview:',
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	(int) 1 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '99',
			'article_category_id' => '31',
			'title' => ''Banks Are Becoming More Stable With Time'',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div justify="" style="width: 595px;">
		<div>
			<div align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				<strong>"We have never announced that we would acquire any institutions in Nepal. People have approached us but we are not ready at this point of time. We are open to the idea but the political situation needs to stabilise first. Nobody will invest money in an unstable environment. and Russia.</strong>"</div>
			<br />
			<div align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				<strong>The global crisis has made everyone realise that it is not right to approach different banks for different purposes. It is better to procure as many services as possible with the same bank. The lack of relationship with a single back hit the people hard. In times of need, they were unable to get financing from the banks. There is definitely a change in the mindset of the clientele."</strong></div>
			<br />
			<div align="justify" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px;">
				<strong>Neeraj Swaroop</strong> is the Regional Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank, India and South Asia. Swaroop was recently in Kathmandu to attend the annual general meeting (AGM) of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited (SCBNL). In an interview with Nubiz, he shared his views on Nepal’s banking industry, SCBNL’s consistent performance and what banks are doing globally to remain stable in the post-crisis mode. Excerpts:</div>
		</div>
	</div>
</div>
<p>
	 </p>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How was the performance of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited (SCBNL) in the last fi scal year? </strong><br />
			We have performed well for many years in a row. Our objective is not only to grow and register profit consistently but also to build a business which delivers the goods overall. We have seen through the crisis where many banks have not performed well. For banks, it is very easy to slip and make losses because they take undue risks. So our philosophy is to be prudent, take measured risks and show steady growth. What would you give the credit for your success over the years? We have continued to expand our products and services. This is receiving a huge patronage from the customers. The matter of pride and which is of great importance is a strong governance structure which is working very well. We are a compliant Bank. We have already been conferred the Banker of the Year 2009 Award. That was particularly pleasing for us. We also have been consistent with the quality of our portfolio for both the businesses i.e. Wholesale Banking and Consumer Banking. .</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What explains the stagnation in the bank’s deposit collection and reduction in the earning per share during the last fi scal year compared to the year before? </strong><br />
			If we keep giving bonus every year, the Earning per Share (EPS) will go down. The right comparison is to adjust the bonus share and then look at the EPS because we have not raised additional capital. If you add the bonus shares, you will see that we have steadily increased EPS every year. As far as the growth in deposits and the loans are concerned, you can refer to our balance sheet. It has grown modestly because we are careful about expanding credit in an uncertain environment.In fact, our deposits have grown and so have the loans. It is a steady growth.<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What plans does the SCBNL board have for the shareholders in the upcoming AGM?</strong><br />
			We have proposed for the AGM to approve a bonus issue of 15 per cent per 100 shares and a cash dividend of 55 per cent. I am confident that this will enthuse our shareholders a great deal.<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Standard Chartered has indicated the willingness to acquire some BFIs in Nepal. What has been the progress so far? </strong><br />
			We have never announced that we would acquire any institutions in Nepal. People have approached us but we are not ready at this point of time. We are open to the idea but the political situation needs to stabilise first. Nobody will invest money in an unstable environment.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>NRB seems determined to put a cap on the salary and benefi ts enjoyed by the CEOs of the banks. Will it have any effect on your bank’s operation in particular and the banking sector in general? </strong><br />
			We expect that the Central Bank will be practical about this matter but we will wait to see what they come up with. Unfortunately, only a handful of CEOs are being investigated. I have already discussed this matter with the authorities. I think they should not have any serious objection to individuals getting a certain pay. They are basically looking at some degree of equitability. As long as this reflects the size of the business and is not incentives only, it should not be a matter to worry about. The incentive system is not only about making short term profits.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What would you give the credit for your success over the years?</strong><br />
			We have continued to expand our products and services. This is receiving a huge patronage from the customers. The matter of pride and which is of great importance is a strong governance structure which is working very well. We are a compliant Bank. We have already been conferred the Banker of the Year 2009 Award. That was particularly pleasing for us. We also have been consistent with the quality of our portfolio for both the businesses i.e. Wholesale Banking and Consumer Banking.<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How is Standard Chartered viewing the proposed South Asian Regional Bank?</strong><br />
			I am not aware of any development to this end. It may have been proposed to promote trade or the import-export scenario. I cannot imagine a bank as such unless it is set up for a specific purpose like trade promotion, facilitating trade among the South-Asian countries etc. There has been however, some talk about financing trade. The FNCCI, too, has mentioned about having a trade corridor in a meeting.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>In Nepal the concept of branchless banks has not gained momentum, unlike in India. How do you view this? </strong><br />
			We have definitely thought about such a possibility but it is still debatable. I really cannot commit anything at this point of time. We also look at the developments in other sectors, for example telecommunications. We would like to be doubly sure before we take the plunge into this endeavour.<br />
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What is your overall assessment of Nepal’s banking industry? Also, is SCBNL planning to introduce any new product?</strong><br />
			At the industry level, our view is that there is tremendous prospect for growth in the long run. It has all the right ingredients for good growth. Banking Institutions always ride on the back of the economy because of the process of intermediaries. This sector is doing well not just in Nepal but in the most parts of South Asia. We are quite optimistic about the future. For us, this is a very good quality operation. We are proud that we enjoy a high reputation with our clientele. We are respected by a large section of the industry. The bank’s share prices reflect the confidence and appreciation by our shareholders and we are happy on this account. We are also proud of the quality of our governance as well as the service that we provide. We believe in long term business. Each year, we invest in increasing the number of ATMs, adding branches, inducting more staff, adding RMs and introducing new products. Once we see the economy picking up on the back of political stability, we’ll invest even more.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>In the present context of Nepal, can the banking sector do anything from India or elsewhere? </strong><br />
			Banking is one of the oldest professions in this world. There is no reason why we cannot do what others can, in different parts of the world. The building of a strong balance sheet means having the right ratios in terms of capital, liquidity and tenure. The quality of a bank’s balance sheet is the heart of its stability and performance. If you look at the Indian as well as other South Asian countries’ banking system, they survived through the crisis because of good balance sheets. Perhaps, they had learnt their lesson from the 1997 Asian crisis when over leverage of the Asian banks had resulted in weak balance sheets. As I understand, all banks in Nepal are not as prudent in the balance sheet structure as they should be. The Nepali banks must have sound balance sheets in order to stay healthy. Good balance sheets lead to good credit evaluating norms which are based on the analysis of cash flows and balance sheets of customers. The banks looking at long term operations almost always follow this mandatory process.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Are there new trends being set worldwide in the banking sector? </strong><br />
			I’ll not exactly call it a new trend but rather a new stage, where the banking industry is in a post-crisis mode. However, we are not feeling the crisis here. The western crisis has affected banking both from the regulators’ and the bankers’ perspectives. Greater restrictions on liquidity as well as on compliance and prudential norms by the regulators have come to the fore. Earlier, most regulators were happy with a broad principle based regulation but now they are keen on a rule-based regulation. They want to check everything because they have been criticised for the failure of the banking system. Hence, the regulators are far more careful now. One thing that has changed after the global crisis is that more banks are focusing on relationship banking now. The crisis has made everyone realise that it is not right to approach different banks for different purposes. It is better to procure as many services as possible with the same bank. The lack of relationship with a single back hit the people hard. In times of need, they were unable to get financing from the banks. There is definitely a change in the mindset of the clientele. The banking system is evolving and I think the crisis has accelerated it. On a positive note, the banks are becoming more stable with time.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2010-12-24',
			'modified' => '2010-12-24',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '"We have never announced that we would acquire any institutions in Nepal. People have approached us but we are not ready at this point of time. We are open to the idea but the political situation needs to stabilise first. Nobody will invest money in an unstable environment. and Russia."',
			'sortorder' => '48',
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	(int) 2 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '98',
			'article_category_id' => '31',
			'title' => 'With Nepal, Our Brand Has Now Reached 14 Countries',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 100%;">
		<strong>Muhammet Coşkun</strong> is the International Marketing Manager of Suvari, one of the most celebrated men’s wear clothing ranges from Turkey, and spread over 13 countries in the world. He was recently in Kathmandu at the opening of the Suvari showroom. The exclusive showroom was opened in association with the local partner, Mediterian Link Holdings Pvt Ltd. It is an investment company established by seasoned entrepreneurs like Akhil Chapagain, Chairperson of Akhil Trading Concerns Pvt Ltd, Kush Kumar Joshi Chairperson of FNCCI, Shukuntalal Hirachan, Chairperson of United Builders and Engineers, among others. In an interview with Nubiz, Coşkun shares how Suvari can become the first choice of fashionconscious Nepali males. Excerpts:</div>
</div>
<p>
	 </p>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 100%;">
		<strong>We don’t categorize countries into developed or developing ones while seeking to expand our network. We have already established ourselves in Europe and Russia. </strong></div>
</div>
<p>
	 </p>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Why do you think Nepal can be a good market for a branded wear like Suvari?</strong><br />
			I think Nepal is a good market for the suvari brand because we give the ready-made clothing to them. In Nepal, there is a trend to buy the fabric first and get it stitched from the tailor. This is sometime difficult because there might be some mistake in the measurement of the body and your whole expense goes in vain. I met one Nepali businessman today who said he bought a very expensive fabric to make a suit of his choice, but when the suit was ready it was a completely different one. He took the suit home but hasn’t worn it for a single day. With Suvari, there is no risk. We have suits available in a range of sizes. Both the fabric and tailoring are done in Turkey. The Nepali men can try the clothing and take home the exact fit.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How do you defi ne Suvari? What is the present status of this<br />
			brand in the market?</strong><br />
			Suvari is a famous men’s wear brand of Turkey. The brand was first established in 1997 as a shirt brand but as the product and brand name took height, its products range was expanded to suits, trousers, shirts, blazers and all dress accessories for men. Now we have 57 stores in Turkey. And we are always trying to expand our network by increasing the number of outlets. We are opening a new outlet every month. We have 35 stores in 13 countries outside Turkey. With Nepal, our brand has now reached 14 countries. We fully own some of our stores abroad, while for others we have local partners, for example, for our store in Katmandu, Nepal.<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>How do you choose a country to open an outlet for your products?</strong><br />
			First of all, we study the market potential for our products in any country. When we are assured that the country has a good market for our brand, we decide to invest in that country. Prior to our investment in Nepal, we carried out a similar market study. We don’t categorize countries into developed or developing ones while seeking to expand our network. We have already established ourselves in Europe and Russia. And at the same time, we are successful in the Middle East and South Africa.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Do you also have women’s or kids’ wear?</strong><br />
			We are only concentrating on men’s wear because we want to specialize in this segment. Women’s and kids’ wear are very different to that of men’s. If you observe the fashion world, there are very few brands in the world that are successful in each of these segments, for example, Zara. Usually, if you cannot specialize in your work, you cannot be successful. In men’s wear we are very successful. We are not interested in the women’s or kids’ wear.<br />
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<p>
	 </p>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>Talking about specialization, is your focus on the entire range of men’s wear or is it limited to some special category of clothing range?</strong><br />
			Our focus is on the classic men’s wear. We basically design clothes for businessmen and expatriates who want to wear formal dresses everyday. So we design suits for their trips, or formal meetings etc. But we intend to give them choices for their holidays. That’s why we have a range of casual wear as well. But we don’t have sportswear or other trends. Our main focus is classic wear like suits and some choices for casual wear.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What is the price range of Suvari?</strong><br />
			The price of suits ranges from Rs 13,500 to 25,000. Our shirts are all priced equally at Rs 2,000 each. But I would like to assure all Nepalis that they are getting the best clothing at this price. We do not compromise on quality. We design our clothing in accordance with the newest emerging trends. So they are not expensive for someone who understands fashion and wants to look good.<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>But what about the middle-class man who, too, wants to look good? Do you have any scheme to incorporate them into your customer network?</strong><br />
			Our clothing is basically targeted at the businessmen or at those who can spend a good amount of money for themselves. But again we cannot neglect the middle-class people who constitute the majority of the population. We will come up with some schemes for the middle-class men as well.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What are your future plans with Nepal? Will you work with other local partners as well?</strong><br />
			I love this country very much. This is the second time I am visiting this country but it has made a huge impact on my heart. The Nepali people are very warm and honest. So I can identify myself as a Turkish with any Nepali over here. I think Nepal and Turkey can work together in many areas. This is just a beginning. From my side, I will always try to reduce the distance between Turkey and Nepal.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: left;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>You have started with a showroom at the United World Trade Center (UWTC). Is there a plan for more showrooms?</strong><br />
			The showroom inside UWTC is our first showroom. But within six months we are planning to open another showroom inside the Kathmandu Valley. The location of the showroom is yet to be decided.<br />
			 </div>
	</div>
	<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 5px; width: 47%; float: right;">
		<div align="justify">
			<strong>What’s your investment in the UWTC showroom?</strong><br />
			Here we are working with a local partner, Mediterian Link Holdings Ltd. So our investment was 60 thousand US dollars only. But we are planning to increase our investment and provide more choices to the Nepali people. For this we will first see how the business goes here. If everything goes fine, we will certainly increase our investment.</div>
	</div>
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>
<div style="width: 595px;">
	<div style="clear: both;">
		 </div>
</div>',
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			'created' => '2010-12-24',
			'modified' => '2010-12-31',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => 'We don’t categorize countries into
developed or developing ones while
seeking to expand our network. We have
already established ourselves in Europe
and Russia.',
			'sortorder' => '47',
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			'title' => 'Last Years GM Sales In Nepal Grew By 260%',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>Karl Slym, </strong>President and managing Director of General Motors India, was in Kathmandu recently to launch the Chevrolet Beat, nicknamed by the company as a global mini car. In an interview with New Business Age Slym shared the plans of GM on launching electric vehicles in South Asia, lessons learnt by the automobile industry from the global financial crisis, and growth expectations in nepal.</p>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2010-11-04',
			'modified' => '2010-11-11',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => 'Karl Slym, President and managing Director of General Motors India, was in Kathmandu recently to launch the Chevrolet Beat, nicknamed by the company as a global mini car.',
			'sortorder' => '8',
			'image' => null,
			'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00',
			'homepage' => false,
			'breaking_news' => false,
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