Dubai: A lttle Mexican verve is about to enter UAE homes after the home appliance brand Mabe finalised a tie-up with UAE-based franchisee Tosh Worldwide.
"We will make Mabe appliances available in all major retail outlets and offer a three-year warranty on refrigerators and two years on washers, while extended warranties can also be provided at minimal charges," Mano Ramchandani, chairman of Tosh Worldwide, told Gulf News.
The Mexican brand will be available in key retail stores across the UAE. Tosh Worldwide is an entity of Tosh Group and has been operational in the Gulf for 20 years.
Mabe range
The Mabe range will include side-by-side refrigerators, premium top-freezer refrigerators, TL washers and cookers.
"In terms of quality, aesthetics, product finish, it is an upmarket brand as all the refrigerators are stainless steel and made in Mexico and the front-load washers are made in Spain," said Ramchandani.
"In this competitive market, in terms of price it is a common man's brand giving more value for money than is spent on the product."
Tosh Worldwide is planning to launch a marketing campaign next month to create brand awareness in the local market. Ramchandani added: "Maybe Mabe is not yet famous in this region, but it is not a new brand.
Joint venture
"There are 67 years of hard work, research and development and 21,000 employees involved to make the brand what it is today.
"Mabe is the leader in Latin America and the US due to its product finish, quality and price. Once all the products are available in this region, our sales strategy and the product itself will build confidence in customers in a very short period of time."
Incorporated in 1946 in Mexico City, Mabe initially made kitchen furniture and in the 1950s began manufacturing various appliances such as gas ranges and refrigerators.
Top exporter
Rapid growth allowed Mabe to become the leading exporter of appliances in Mexico as early as 1960.
Currently, it is distributed in over 70 countries. In 1986, Mabe entered into a joint venture with General Electric Co to produce appliances for the US market.
As part of a move away from controlling Mexican operations from the US, GE decided to enter into the joint venture with a 48 per cent minority stake.
While GE hoped to gain access to Mexico's low-cost labour pool, Mabe was given greater access to the world's largest consumer market through the former's distribution network in the US.
