BIZ TODAY REPORT
KARACHI: In order to pay tribute to Pak-China friendship and further strengthen the bond between the two countries, Habitt has a launched co-created range of new home décor products inspired by Chinese Art & Civilization, fused with local Pakistani trends.
The launch ceremony, which was held at Habitt’s flagship outlet, was attended by the Consular Attaches – Economic & Commercial Office of Consulate General of China in Karachi. Habitt is also a member of Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry and takes pride in welcoming Trade Delegations and Chinese expats to its stores in the future as well.
Speaking at the occasion, COO Habitt, Mr. Adnan Ahmed spoke about the efforts that Habitt puts into product design. He said that particular attention is paid towards the originality of designs and it is for this purpose that Habitt has committed sizeable resources to local design and product development.
Habitt is a complete home store which was launched in Pakistan in 2001 by IBL Group. IBL Group, which began its operations in the subcontinent several generations ago moved its head office to Karachi at the time of partition in 1947 and became a premier distribution house, under the name UDL – United Distributors (Pvt.) Limited. In 1991, International Brands (Pvt.) Limited was formed with a vision to reach the furthest areas of Pakistan through an unmatched distribution infrastructure. IBL kept acquiring and opening new companies to manage IBL’s businesses according to product lines and industries in a better and more organized way, and thus, IBL became IBL Group with investments in major industry sectors across Pakistan.
Today, Habitt is a one stop solution for home furnishing needs, promising superior quality and value for money. Our current footprint exceeds 100k sq. ft. of premier retail space in Karachi and Lahore. Facing the urban planning realities of mega cities in developing world, the vision for our company is to be the region’s most reliable living solutions provider. In alignment with our vision, our aspiration going forward includes being an omni-channel retailer of urban living solutions, integrated with world class design and manufacturing facilities.
Satisfying our ever growing and quality conscious customer base requires a considerable R&D effort that we put in our product design and selection process. During the course of our journey, we have developed strong ties and business relationships with Chinese firms who help us maintain an assortment of products in our stores that is worthy of our valued customers. Moreover, our design and sourcing teams have exchanged knowledge and skills with Chinese professionals, leading to development of quality human capital at both ends. At the moment, around 50% of our portfolio is designed and developed in collaboration with 20-25 Chinese firms and almost 200 open market suppliers. Going forward, we are looking at strengthening these relationships by opening up more opportunities and functional streams to co-creation with Chinese firms.
