A New Wave of Lifestyle Retail

Redefining lifestyle retailing in Sri Lanka, LAUGFS Solutions recently introduced a premier lifestyle store chain under the brand name ‘KOKATH’. The KOKATH Lifestyle Store features over 700 modern, high quality products from Japan at three affordable price points.

Conceptualised and designed using modern Japanese retail concepts, the first KOKATH store was recently unveiled at the K-Zone Ja-Ela shopping mall. It will cater to the myriads of lifestyle needs with a wide variety of high quality, value-for-money lifestyle products under one roof.

“We are venturing into lifestyle retailing with our very own KOKATH brand to provide our local customers with a unique shopping experience. We have partnered with one of the largest Japanese manufacturers in lifestyle products to bring in high quality international goods that are carefully sourced to match our local tastes and lifestyle aspirations,” commented LAUGFS Chairman, Mr. W. K. H. Wegapitiya. “We see tremendous opportunities for growth in this retail space with innovative lifestyle solutions, and plan to create many opportunities for local manufacturers through this concept in the future,” he further elaborated.

The newly launched KOKATH store offers over 700 products for the whole family. Manufactured in Japan, these include unique items currently unavailable in the local market, as well as daily essentials ranging from home decor, kitchen appliances, bathroom accessories and gardening equipment to stationery, gift items, cosmetics, as well as seasonal items.

“As with every venture LAUGFS has embarked on, I believe this is another unique concept that has been presented to our local customers,” remarked LAUGFS Group Managing Director, Mr. Thilak De Silva. “This is the result of the intrapreneurial culture at LAUGFS, where our colleagues are constantly encouraged to innovate and rethink how we create value for our stakeholders. The team behind this project has worked tirelessly for months to ensure that this new KOKATH Lifestyle Store is seamlessly delivered,” he added.

KOKATH’s online retailing platform – www.kokath.lk – was also launched together with the retail store. The site offers island-wide delivery, enabling customers to make online purchases at the comfort of their homes.

The KOKATH Lifestyle Store also features a self-service kiosk for the convenience of busy urban customers. This will enable customers to sift through online product catalogues, check availability, place orders and make payments, with the option to have the product delivered or to pick up from the KOKATH store.

“We are delighted to deliver a new lifestyle retail experience to our local customers under the KOKATH brand, with the aim to provide greater convenience and value-for-money with a uniquely Japanese retail concept. Our retail stores offer a broad range of modern and trendy lifestyle products consisting of every day essentials as well as novel items. These are high quality goods manufactured in Japan. We have also applied a simple and straight forward pricing formula with only three price points,” commented LAUGFS Solutions Deputy General Manager, Mr. Chinthana Wegapitiya.

LAUGFS Solutions is a subsidiary of LAUGFS Holdings, one of the largest diversified business conglomerates and a trusted name in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1995, LAUGFS today has expanded across 20 industries in Sri Lanka and overseas, establishing a strong presence as a leader and pioneer in the power and energy, retail, industrial, services, leisure, and logistics sectors. With over 4,000 employees and an annual turnover exceeding Rs.37 billion, LAUGFS continues to expand and empower millions as a trusted Sri Lankan brand.