Gitex competition sees war of the technology giants

Dubai: With only four days to go before the Gitex Shopper 2008 draws to a close, Jumbo and Jacky's Electronics, two of the UAE's leading technology retailers, are apparently going head to head in the race to offer the best deals to shoppers thronging at the Airport Expo.

The two retailers, who are noticeably dominating the exhibition space, are dangling a plethora of prizes that range from Ferrari laptops that cost Dh6,000 to a holiday in the Maldives and a free stay at the Atlantis Hotel in Palm Jumeirah.

Jumbo, which is celebrating its 18-year partnership with the IT event, announced yesterday it is spending Dh1 million on prizes alone and will give away a total of 138 laptops and 80 to 90 mobile phones to lucky shoppers during the week-long event.

The retailer is raffling off two laptops and a mobile phone every hour. Shoppers spending a minimum of Dh500 on IT and office automation products at Jumbo stand get the chance to win a laptop, while lucky buyers of any Sony Ericsson product can go home with a free mobile phone.

JP Nambiar, retail head for Jumbo Electronics, said other mobile phone buyers also can win a two-night vacation in Maldives or in a host of UAE hotels including the Atlantis.

"Don't forget that for every laptop that you buy, you get a goodie bag which consists of 10 different items including an MP3 player. That costs about Dh250," said Nambiar.

Apt response

Not to be outdone, Jacky's Electronics said it is spending about Dh500,000 on all Gitex prizes and is giving away one laptop every hour.

Ashish Panjabi, chief operating officer of Jacky's Electronics, said up for grabs are 219 Acer Aspire One notebooks which cost Dh1,999 and 11 Acer Ferrari notebooks priced at Dh6,000.

"Aside from hourly raffle draws, we have special bundle offers across all products ranging from notebooks, desktops, LCD and plasma TVs, mobile phones, among others," Panjabi told Gulf News.

Nambiar said now is the best time for consumers to buy electronic items, considering the number of prizes and significant discounts on offer.

"It's a chance and opportunity for consumers to get the best deals. Some brands, like HP, have reduced prices by Dh400 to Dh600.

"And at the same time, while having made the purchase, consumers get the chance to win prizes through raffle draws," Nambiar said.