Manufacturing
Manufacturing and industrial businesses in Sri Lanka range from export-oriented operations in investment zones to producers serving the domestic market, in areas such as rubber products, food and beverage, chemicals, building materials, electronics and engineering. Their legal needs extend from establishing and expanding production facilities to managing procurement, product standards, the workforce and environmental obligations.
We act for domestic and international manufacturers, industrial groups, investors and their commercial partners.
How we help
We advise manufacturing businesses on matters including:
- Establishing, acquiring and restructuring manufacturing businesses
- Foreign investment, Board of Investment of Sri Lanka approvals and incentives
- Joint ventures and strategic partnerships
- Factory, warehouse and industrial-property acquisitions and leases
- Supplier, procurement and contract-manufacturing agreements
- Technology transfer and intellectual-property licensing
- Product standards, certification and regulatory compliance
- Environmental, health and safety considerations
- Employment contracts, workforce policies and industrial relations
- Product liability, contractual claims and commercial disputes
Industry experience
We advise businesses involved in manufacturing, processing, assembly, industrial products and export-oriented operations. Our work often requires coordination across corporate, regulatory, employment, property, tax and dispute-resolution matters, and we support clients on day-to-day operational questions as well as significant investments, acquisitions, expansions and reorganisations. Where projects involve international supply chains or cross-border investment, we work with overseas counsel, technical advisers and other professionals to provide coordinated Sri Lankan legal support from initial planning through implementation and ongoing operations.
Apparel & Textiles
Apparel and textiles are among Sri Lanka’s most important export industries, built on long-standing relationships with international brands and a reputation for ethical production. Manufacturers must meet buyers’ requirements on quality, delivery, labour standards and environmental performance, while managing a large workforce and supply chains for fabric, trims and accessories that often run through several countries.
We act for apparel manufacturers and exporters, textile and fabric mills, accessory suppliers, buying offices and investors in the sector.
How we help
We advise apparel and textile businesses on matters including:
- Buyer, sourcing and contract-manufacturing arrangements
- Supplier terms for fabric, trims and accessories
- Foreign investment, joint ventures and group restructuring
- Factory and industrial-property acquisitions and leases, including in investment zones
- Employment contracts, workforce policies and industrial relations
- Labour-standards, social-compliance and ethical-sourcing requirements
- Environmental and sustainability commitments in supply chains
- Trade marks, designs and the protection of brand and buyer intellectual property
- Tax, customs and export-incentive considerations
- Contractual claims, cancelled orders and commercial disputes
Industry experience
We advise vertically integrated apparel groups, contract manufacturers, fabric and accessory producers, the sourcing offices of international brands and investors. Our work ranges from structuring investments and supply arrangements to advising on workforce matters, buyer audits and ESG expectations, acquisitions and disputes. Where buyers or group companies are overseas, we coordinate with foreign counsel and other advisers to provide consistent Sri Lankan legal support.
Consumer Goods & FMCG
Consumer-goods and fast-moving consumer goods businesses depend on strong brands, reliable supply and distribution and the trust of consumers. In Sri Lanka they must manage product, labelling, pricing and promotional requirements, including those overseen by the Consumer Affairs Authority, across large and changing distribution networks that reach from supermarkets to small village retailers.
We act for brand owners, manufacturers, importers and distributors of food, beverages, personal-care, household and other consumer products.
How we help
We advise consumer-goods businesses on matters including:
- Market entry, investment and corporate structuring
- Distribution, agency and sales-representative agreements
- Supply, contract-manufacturing and private-label arrangements
- Brand protection, trade marks and anti-counterfeiting
- Product labelling, standards and consumer-protection compliance
- Advertising, promotions and marketing communications
- Pricing, competition and distribution issues
- Import, customs and tax considerations
- Product recalls and product-liability claims
- Acquisitions, disposals and brand transactions
Industry experience
We advise multinational and local consumer-goods companies, food and beverage producers, personal-care and household-products businesses, importers and distributors. Our work ranges from establishing distribution and supply networks and protecting brands to advising on regulatory questions, acquisitions, expansions and disputes, including product launches, recalls and changes of distributor. Where products, brands or suppliers are international, we coordinate with overseas counsel and other advisers. See also our Intellectual Property practice.
Retail
Retailers in Sri Lanka, from supermarket chains and department stores to specialty, franchise and online businesses, must manage property, supply, consumer and workforce obligations across many locations and channels. Growth in e-commerce and loyalty programmes has added questions about online contracting, payments and the handling of customer data.
We act for domestic and international retailers, franchisors and franchisees, shopping-mall owners and operators, and online businesses selling to consumers in Sri Lanka.
How we help
We advise retail businesses on matters including:
- Market entry, investment and corporate structuring
- Franchise, licensing and brand-partnership agreements
- Retail, warehouse and commercial-property leases
- Concession, shop-in-shop and mall arrangements
- Supplier terms and private-label arrangements
- Consumer-protection, pricing and promotions compliance
- E-commerce terms, online payments and delivery arrangements
- Customer data, loyalty programmes and marketing consents
- Employment and workplace matters
- Consumer, property and commercial disputes
Industry experience
We advise supermarket and department-store operators, specialty and franchise retailers, shopping-mall owners, e-commerce platforms and their suppliers. Our work ranges from store roll-outs, leases and franchise programmes to regulatory questions, acquisitions and disputes, including advice on Data Protection & Privacy for customer and loyalty data. Where brands or franchisors are based overseas, we coordinate with international counsel to provide consistent Sri Lankan legal support.
Tea & Plantations
Tea, rubber, coconut and other plantation crops combine land-based operations, a large resident workforce, factory processing and international trade. Many estates are managed by regional plantation companies under long-term leases, and businesses in the sector must manage land tenure, employment, regulatory and export requirements, including those administered by the Sri Lanka Tea Board, alongside their commercial and investment objectives.
We act for plantation companies, estate owners, tea factories, brokers, exporters and investors across the plantation value chain.
How we help
We advise clients in the tea and plantations sector on matters including:
- Acquisition, leasing and management of estates
- Plantation leases, title due diligence and land-use questions
- Investment, joint ventures and corporate restructuring
- Factory, processing and warehousing arrangements
- Brokering, auction and export arrangements
- Employment, collective agreements and estate-workforce matters
- Certification, labelling and trade-standard requirements
- Brand protection and intellectual-property licensing
- Financing and security over plantation assets
- Land, contractual and commercial disputes
Industry experience
We advise regional plantation companies, estate owners, tea and rubber processors, brokers, exporters, financiers and related service providers. Our work spans land and investment transactions, operational and employment matters, export and branding arrangements and the resolution of disputes. Where products are sold into international markets or investors are based overseas, we coordinate with foreign counsel and other advisers to provide consistent Sri Lankan legal support.
Agribusiness
Agribusiness in Sri Lanka extends well beyond the plantations, covering spices, fruit and vegetables, dairy, poultry, aquaculture, seeds and fertiliser, and the processing and export of agricultural products. Businesses in the sector must manage land and water access, food-safety and quarantine requirements, supply relationships with farmers and outgrowers, and access to export markets.
We act for agribusiness investors, processors, exporters, input suppliers and financiers across the agricultural value chain.
How we help
We advise agribusiness clients on matters including:
- Investment, joint ventures and corporate structuring
- Acquisition and leasing of agricultural land
- Outgrower, contract-farming and procurement arrangements
- Processing, packing and cold-storage facilities
- Food-safety, quarantine and product-standard compliance
- Export, distribution and offtake agreements
- Supply of seed, fertiliser and other agricultural inputs
- Certification, labelling and traceability requirements
- Financing and security over crops, livestock and equipment
- Contractual, land and commercial disputes
Industry experience
We advise spice and food processors, dairy and poultry businesses, fruit and vegetable exporters, aquaculture operators, input suppliers, agricultural technology businesses, investors and financiers. Our work spans investment and land transactions, supply-chain and export arrangements, regulatory compliance and the resolution of disputes. Where buyers or investors are based abroad, we coordinate with overseas counsel and other advisers to provide consistent Sri Lankan legal support.
