Cellucom opens first Bahrain showroom and service centre

The opening of the 200 sq metre store in the Gosi Complex, on Manama's Exhibition Road, is part of the company's plans to expand its network of high-end communication stores across the GCC region.

With Cellucom's corporate headquarters located in Dubai, Bahrain was the logical choice for the company's first GCC showroom outside the UAE. The decision to open a store in Bahrain was also based on the rapid growth of the country's mobile phone market, said Arun Nagar, Managing Director, Cellucom.

"The total size of the market is approximately 400,000. In addition to this there is a huge replacement market. What's more, Bahrain is an attractive venue for tourists, a large number of whom come from other GCC states," said Nagar, adding that Cellucom expects to cover at least 30 per cent of the market by the end of the year.

Towards this goal, Cellucom will be expanding its branded reseller network, Val-U-Shop, to include Bahrain. Dealers in Bahrain, in preliminary discussions with Cellucom, have reacted positively to the plan to introduce the franchise in the country, Nagar said.

The Val-U-Shop franchise was developed in response to the changing distributor-reseller relationship, which demands more support in terms of a sharing of expertise. Cellucom offers each member of the Val-U-Shop priority dealer network its support for varied marketing and distribution initiatives.

Customers shopping at any point on the Val-U-Shop network can look forward to, among others, trade-in facilities, 30-minute phone repair or replacement, warranty covered in six countries, free home delivery, games and software.

There are over 30 outlets currently part of the Val-U-Shop network in the UAE. Their number in the emirates is expected to rise to 50 by the end of the year. In Bahrain Cellucom anticipates building a strong dealer network to enhance its coverage in the country.

In the next few months Cellucom expects to open showrooms in all major Saudi Arabian cities and in Kuwait. The company will also be bringing its Val-U-Shop franchise to these countries and will be appointing a limited number of dealers and retailers to its priority network.