Dubai: Jumbo Electronics, the UAE-based consumer electronics giant, yesterday opened its latest store in Abu Dhabi's Marina Mall.
The 4,500 square foot store is the first of two outlets the company will open in the capital this year as part of its ambitious expansion plans in the emirate.
"Abu Dhabi is a key focus market for us," said CEO Deepak Khetrapal.
"We currently have six stores in the capital, including this new outlet in Marina Mall, and will be opening an additional Abu Dhabi store later this year. As the emirate has grown, we have seen an increased number of visitors in our stores and therefore have plans to expand our network to meet that demand," he said.
Our growth is a result of our commitment to offering the best-in-class value proposition for discerning customers and market-leading customer service, backed by accessible and popular locations such as the Marina Mall. We are delighted that Sony are here with us for the opening since they have been our key partner since the inception of Jumbo."
Jumbo recorded a sales increase of 20 per cent in the second half of 2010 against the same period the previous year and also began this year on a bullish note with a 25 per cent growth in sales during the recent Dubai Shopping Festival.
Jumbo now has over 35 stores in the UAE and Oman and is now focused on expanding its retail presence in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
Kiyoshi Shikano, Senior Vice-President of Global Sales and Marketing for Sony Corporation, said: "We share a great relationship with Jumbo, which has been our exclusive distributor in the UAE for nearly 40 years.
"We are pleased to be a part of the opening of the Marina Mall store.
"Abu Dhabi is a fast growing market and the expansion plans Jumbo has in place in the capital will give us more platforms to showcase and launch an amazing array of products we have lined up for this year."
Along with its regional expansion plans, Jumbo also plans to grow the brand beyond retail in areas such as IT solutions, expanding on consumer appliances side through its Supra brand, and leveraging its strong distribution capabilities.
Non-retail segments currently account for three quarters of Jumbo's business.
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Eurostar and Pace win etisalat deal
Dubai: Eurostar, a pioneer and market leader in the digital satellite receiver industry, and Pace plc, a leading global developer of technologies and products for managed subscription TV and broadband services, have been appointed by etisalat to enable delivery of digital TV services to its customers.
To enable the rollout of etisalat's eLife triple play (TV, internet and phone) services through the fibre-optic network, Pace has developed High Definition Personal Video Recorder (HD PVR) set-top boxes and advanced residential gateway solutions.
Etisalat's eLife triple play services give customers the opportunity to experience exciting and value added features and benefits on TV, internet and landline.
The triple play service bundles double play along with great entertainment through Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), all of which is delivered through a single access network.
"Etisalat's new generation fiber-optic network is set to give a huge boost to HDTV in the UAE, along with fast-speed internet and enhanced phone services," said Raju T. Jethwani, Chairman of Eurostar Group.
"Backed by our extensive expertise and our long association with Pace UK, [world's leading technology developer for Global Pay TV market], we are poised to play a major role in accelerating the HDTV revolution in the region."
Exhibition
Eurostar and Pace showcased the new solutions, alongside other product platforms, at CABSAT 2011, the annual cable and satellite product exhibition that was held at Shaikh Rashid Hall, Dubai International Convention Centre, from February 8 to 10, 2011.
The Pace HD PVR will support delivery of these services by providing state of the art digital TV features, including VOD, PVR and Interactive services, while Pace's Advanced Residential Gateway enables delivery of a variety of wireless digital services into the home through a single device.
