SanDisk strengthens its Middle East presence with new distributor agreements

Under the terms of the agreement, the two sub distributors will work closely with Grand Stores, SanDisk's master distributor, to promote, support, market and distribute SanDisk products in Kuwait and Qatar through a wide range of retail outlets.

These agreements are pursuant to SanDisk plans for more aggressive expansion of its new Ducati branded products as well as other flash memory cards. Under the brand Ducati, the company has introduced the 'SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition' range of USB Flash Drives, 'SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition CompactFlash' and 'SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition SD Plus' range of flash memory cards.

"We are very pleased to be associated with SanDisk, a company that enjoys an excellent reputation for innovation products and quality," said Shawkat Hussein, Managing Director of Salam Studio and Stores. "SanDisk's core strengths, combined with our existing extensive distribution network in Qatar provide a strong foundation to meet the needs of customers in the country and to win new business."

Salam Studio & Stores LLC which was established in 1952 is one of the largest retails in Qatar. The company has exclusive distribution rights of branded products not only in Qatar, UAE and Oman but also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. As a distribution company, Salam has an extensive distribution network in the GCC supported by regional offices and well established warehouses.

Al-Yousifi is one of the leading trading companies in Kuwait with a proven track record in growing branded IT products in the local market. The company covers all aspects of the IT distribution business from channel and brand marketing to logistics and warehousing.

"We believe that SanDisk's new 'Memory Center Retail Concept' has transformed the retail experience and moves the brand to another level," said Amjad Fayyad, Managing Director of Al-Yousifi Co. "That's why our agreement with SanDisk comes at an opportune time and will add great value to both companies and most importantly our end-users."

Earlier this year, SanDisk offered retailers a complete digital experience, which will be showcased at this year's edition of GITEX Dubai, by introducing its latest 'Memory Center Retail Concept' displays. The design of the displays has been developed to give the SanDisk brand a distinct retail language, provide retailers with an in depth overview of SanDisk's most up-to- date products, while maintaining SanDisk's positioning as an innovator of high quality flash based products.

"We are very excited to add Salam Studios and Al-Yousifi to our Middle East distribution network," said Tareq Husseini, SanDisk's Middle East and Africa Sales Director. "Their expertise, reputation and extensive local presence in the Middle East will improve our ability to service our customer's requirements, enhance our competitiveness and strengthen our brand recognition."

SanDisk is the original inventor of flash storage cards and is the world's largest supplier of flash data storage card products, using its patented, high-density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., and has operations worldwide, with more than half its sales outside the U.S.