AH&L Kissoon still going strong in the local furniture industry

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56523017

AH&L Kissoon still going strong in the local furniture industry
Stabroek News
Friday, June 22nd 2007

More than half a century after the company first began trading in
Georgetown as a small dry goods store AH&L Kissoon Ltd. is still
seeking ways of consolidating the position it has long held as a leader
in the local furniture industry and Hemraj Kissoon, their key figure in
what is now one of the largest manufacturing, trading and investment
enterprises in Guyana is not inclined to be modest about the company's
achievements. He promotes the Kissoon brand with the zeal and
confidence of a man who knows that the company's success inheres in its
longevity and the reputation it has established in one of the more
competitive pursuits in the manufacturing sector.

Since the mid-1950's A.H&L Kissoon has repeatedly "seen off" the
competition in the furniture manufacturing industry and, Kissoon says,
the company is more than holding its own against its contemporary
competitors.

The Kissoon pride is reflected in its audacious motto that the company
is 'never knowingly undersold." It is a boast that derives from the
company's sheer resilience and its success in sustaining demand for its
products. Over time, the Kissoons have had to endure devastating family
and business losses. Each time, the company has re-emerged, re-invented
and seemingly reinvigorated.

In its quest to lead the way in the local furniture manufacturing
sector AH&L Kissoon has undergone a major transformation that has
focused on the modernization of its operations and the pursuit of a
number of new investments strategically planned to consolidate its hold
on the furniture industry. The company's current holdings include a
large timber concession, a lumber yard, electric and solar kiln drying
facilities, machinery for the manufacture of foam and fibre and a
modern furniture manufacturing factory. In effect, AH&L Kissoon Ltd.
has created an integrated outfit that has given the company control
over the essential raw materials and machinery that are central to its
production process. The advantages that it derives from cheaper, more
reliable supplies of raw materials and manufacturing capacity allows
for the setting of prices that its competitors in the furniture retail
sector are hard-pressed to match.

It is the company's reputation, however, that Hemraj Kissoon appears to
value most. He reflects on the Kissoon heyday, the time when its Camp
and Regent streets showroom attracted customers from all walks of life,
from well-to-do home owners seeking after plush sofas and fine cabinets
to working-class converts to the Kissoon brand seeking to take
advantage of its hire purchase arrangements. Hemraj Kissoon is
convinced that there are homes in Guyana that still boast items of
furniture bought from Kissoon forty years ago.

In 2001 urban street protests associated with the outcome of the
country's general elections saw the Kissoon showroom and store go up in
flames. Within months of the tragedy the site had been cleared of
debris, the familiar trading logo remounted and the company was trading
again under a makeshift roof. Its new premises, just opposite the site
of the old showroom, are more than ample testimony to the company's
determination to survive adversity.

Changing times have brought fresh waves of competition from other local
furniture manufacturers and from imported furniture. Consumer taste too
has changed over time. AH&L Kissoon Ltd. has changed with the times.
Its modern factory located on the Industrial Site has remained abreast
of trends and tastes in the furniture industry while its marketing and
promotional pursuits continue to reflect the versatility of its
craftsmen in the production of contemporary furnishing ranging from
dining suites to "bedroom basics."

Publicly AH&L Kissoon has retained its image as a "family business.'
With the passage of time, however, the management of what is now a
larger, more complex operation has changed. Hemraj Kissoon says that
many of the critical posts in both the administrative and production
areas of the company are held by "non-Kissoons," qualified and
experienced managers, many of whom have grown with the establishment.
Their skills, he says, have been essential to realising the
transformation which the company has undergone. He says that between
1960 and 2000 a relatively small quantity of furniture was imported
into Guyana, a fact which he attributes to the pioneering work of AH&L
Kissoon in the local furniture industry.

While the company has what Hemraj describes as "a small export market,"
its primary focus is on satisfying local demand by responding to
changing consumer tastes. The focus, it seems, is on sustaining the
company's reputation as furnishers to the nation.

AH&L Kissoon furniture display