Ikea names Punjab towel-maker as best supplier

Ludhiana, Nov 4 : Punjab-based towel manufacturer Abhishek Industries Ltd (AIL) has won the best supplier award from European retail chain Ikea.

AIL has been chosen as the best supplier for the trade area in South Asia, company officials said Wednesday.

"It is a great honour for us. Customer satisfaction is an inherent value of our organisation and we are happy to have lived up to it," AIL managing director Rajinder Gupta said.

Besides terry-towel business, Ikea and AIL have strengthened their partnership through a "Better Cotton Initiative", which seeks to improve cotton cultivation and make it more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable.

Sweden-based Ikea is one of the biggest retailers in Europe with a global presence. AIL, a Rs.2,500-crore group headquartered in Ludhiana, is one of Ikea's major suppliers for towels and related products.