Sri Lanka’s Maliban to enter India with Reliance Consumer Products
The Morning: Maliban Group of Companies announced a landmark strategic partnership with Reliance Consumer Products Ltd. (RCPL), a subsidiary of Reliance Retail and a fast-growing player in India’s consumer sector.
This collaboration marks Maliban’s formal entry into the Indian market, positioning the company not merely as an exporter but as a mainstream regional brand.
At the same time, it reflects Reliance’s commitment to diversify and make premium its FMCG portfolio with trusted heritage names.
The partnership stands out for its alliance-based structure. Rather than an acquisition, it is built on shared innovation and long-term regional value creation.
It combines Maliban’s seven-decade expertise in biscuit manufacturing and product development with Reliance’s unmatched retail presence, manufacturing scale, and consumer intelligence. This model is seen as a blueprint for cross-border brand integration in South Asia.
Reliance Consumer Products Director T. Krishnakumar said: “Maliban brings with it a premium heritage and differentiated product portfolio that complements our vision. Together, we are curating a new FMCG ecosystem that reflects both tradition and transformation.”
For Maliban, the move represents a defining milestone in its regional expansion journey. With products already exported to over 40 countries, the entry into India enables the brand to scale in South Asia’s largest consumer market, home to more than 1.4 billion people.
Maliban Group Managing Director Kumudika Fernando said: “Maliban has been part of Sri Lankan households for over 70 years. This partnership with Reliance enables us to carry that same trust and quality into India on a scale never before possible. Our vision is not only to grow in India but to set a new standard for South Asian collaboration in the FMCG space.”
The structure of the alliance ensures that Maliban retains its brand identity while Reliance accelerates its market penetration through distribution, retail reach, and consumer insights. This balance between scale and authenticity is designed to deliver premium quality at accessible price points.
Maliban Group CEO Ravi Jayawardena said: “This is a carefully structured business alliance, designed to leverage Reliance’s strengths in scale and reach while preserving Maliban’s unique identity. The roadmap ahead includes localised manufacturing, product innovation tailored to Indian consumers, and supply chain integration that ensures speed, efficiency, and sustainability.
OSL take:
The growth, profits and expansion of Sri Lankan businesses clearly indicate the overall strength, growth and business potential in Sri Lanka’s economy. Sri Lanka’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean, the many trade agreements as well as trade concessions enjoyed with many foreign countries and the improving ease of doing business environment in the country have all added to boost the country’s image as an emerging business destination in the South Asian region. The growth and expansion posted by Sri Lanka’s private sector also serves to boost the confidence of foreign businesses/investors exploring lucrative opportunities in the region. While exploring the expanding business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka, foreign businesses/investors could also look at forming partnerships or joint ventures with local businesses to further expand operations. Given the strong trade ties enjoyed by Sri Lanka with many foreign countries, Sri Lankan businesses could look at expanding business operations through collaborations with foreign businesses.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20250917/Z_1 |