"Abans started business in 1968 as a little corner shop. Today it stands tall in a majestic multi storeyed building in Colombo’s main thoroughfare and employs a dedicated and committed work force of over 4000"

Story Behind Abans

1960s Sri Lanka was a period of harsh, economic restrictions, severely limiting consumer choice and purchasing power. Mrs. Aban Pestonjee, a young housewife at the time, not content with this situation, began to acquire used appliances from attending expatriate and embassy staff personal auctions to put up for sale in first, her own garage and then slowly in her own corner store. Balancing housework, her business and three children, Mrs. Pestonjee was adamant on making reliably available household appliances at fair prices so as to make the lives Sri Lankan housewives that much easier.

The Abans corner shop at Galle Road, Bambalapitya was the first establishment were Mrs. Pestonjee brought items purchased at the auctions to be repaired and serviced and then put up for sale at a reasonable price, backed by the Abans Guarantee. The Abans Guarantee was the first of its kind amongst Sri Lankan resale outlets, and it became synonymous with the fact that customers were assured that they were buying a high-quality, long-lasting product.

Coupled with our strong business ethic, and the passion and drive exuded by our founding members, Mr. and Mrs. Pestonjee, Abans' popularity in the household appliance retail sector soared. Demand largely outgrew supply and new workshops were opened to cater to the demand of efficient after-sales service.

In 1977, with the establishment of the Open Economy, Abans had the best after-sales service in the country, largely due to the spread and quality of its repair and service centres. This was one of Abans' major strengths that allowed them to acquire the sole agency of some of the world's leading brands in household electric and electronic appliances.

From then on, Abans Limited which handles the retail of household electric and electronic appliances has grown to over 200 showrooms island-wide and 450 approved dealers across Sri Lanka. Abans Limited even operates an outlet in Dubai. The management at Abans felt that whilst focusing on providing quality products and services to domestic consumers, there was much opportunity in supplying corporate clients. With this in mind, the Abans Group of Companies was incorporated, under which companies dealing in the retail of mobile phones and high-tech computer equipment, industrial kitchen, laundry and cleaning equipment, Central A/C systems, environmental services, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, security services and travel reservations have sprung up. The Abans Group of Companies will continue to improve and expand in its existing sectors, but is always on the lookout for more opportunities.

The Board of Directors' profiles are to follow. The Board of Directors at Abans are part of the core team that has developed Abans' strength as a leading retail and services organization in Sri Lanka.