Benji CEO and Managing Director Giorgio Montresor and Board of Investment Chairman Arjuna Herath and senior company representatives with officials from the Investment Promotion Agency

Italy’s Onivers has chosen to increase its investment in Sri Lanka, with a broader understanding of the local business ecosystem and renewed confidence in the normalization of business in the country.

Accordingly, its company, Benji Limited, which manufactures and exports specialized corsetry items that mold bra cups, signed a US$35 million agreement.

While signing the agreement, Benji CEO and Managing Director Giorgio Montresor emphasized the importance of Sri Lanka’s human resources in attracting new investments. He noted that young Sri Lankans are very adept at learning new technologies and their work ethic is among the greatest in the world.

All the companies in the group currently employ about 15,000 people.

Currently, Benji produces 30 million bra cups. This fresh capital injection will bring in machines based on new technology, with increased capacity and improved quality.

“We expect a 35 percent increase in production. All group companies source bra cups from Benji, thereby reducing the import of bra cups from China to zero. As a result, this investment not only increases foreign exchange inflows, but also reduces dollar outflows,” said Montresor. Onivers began operations in Verona, Italy, in 1986. Onivers manages the entire product lifecycle, from design to production in proprietary facilities to global distribution. Today, the group sells its products entirely through 5,600 directly owned or franchised single-brand stores in 57 countries, employing more than 45,000 people.

Onivers is the leading player in the industry in Europe and one of the top companies globally. Onivers, then Calzedonia, entered Sri Lanka in 1999 by investing in Omega Line.