Cellucom Xpress rolls into East Africa

Developed along the lines of Cellucom's Val-U-Shop network in the GCC, Cellucom Xpress is a retailing franchise that aims at expanding the company's market presence in East Africa. Under the agreement with Nakumatt, Cellucom Xpress will be present in 11 of their stores in Kenya - eight in Nairobi, two in Mombassa and one in Kisumu.

"East Africa is a growing market with mobile subscribers still only about seven per cent of the population in Kenya. There's a huge potential market here. What we offer, through Cellucom Xpress, are credibility and reliability of both product and service," said Arun Nagar, Managing Director, Cellucom Kenya Ltd.

Shoppers at Cellucom Xpress, which has been launched in East Africa with the support of Samsung, will have the benefit of a 30-minute repair or replacement service and a free warranty that covers Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Dubai. Forthcoming attractions at Cellucom Express are; the option of trading in their old phones for new models, Ringtones, Logos & Wallpapers.

In addition to this, Cellucom Xpress will have promotions at regular intervals like the inaugural offer that they are offering. On a purchase exceeding Kenyan Shilling 10,000 the customer will receive a branded sunglasses and a purchase less than that will entitle the customer to a free t-shirt.

Nakumatt executives believe that the partnership with Cellucom will provide fresh impetus to the retail mobile sector in Kenya. The customers in East Africa have been expectantly waiting for a dependable outlet to buy their mobile phones from and with the launch of Cellucom Xpress they can now be assured of reliability, service and above all value for money.

In addition, the benefits for consumers, association with Cellucom Xpress has a host of dealer and vendor advantages including - for the manufacturer - better control over the brand image and for the dealer support for varied marketing and distribution initiatives. "With the growing complexity of mobile telecommunication products, there is a need for increased support - in terms of the sharing of expertise, among others - which we aim to provide our resellers," said Nagar.

Samsung, one of the most popular brands in world today, is committed to driving handset sales through support to regional partners, said Albert K S Kim, Managing Director, Samsung, Central African Operations. "We are extremely pleased to be part of Cellucom Xpress which promises to revolutionise the way wireless products are sold in Kenya. We are confident that we can capitalise on the goodwill that Cellucom Xpress will generate," concluded Kim.

The 11 Cellucom Xpress outlets in Kenya represents the start of Cellucom's expansion in East Africa. There are plans to increase the Cellucom Xpress outlets in Kenya and bring them to other countries in the region before the end of the year. An estimated 30 Cellucom Xpress outlets are to open in East Africa before the end of 2004.