Panasonic Middle East appoints Al-Futtaim Sons as sole agent for their products in Bahrain

The appointment marks and deepens a business relationship that has already spanned three decades in the UAE and Oman, and reinforces their strength in the region and their pre-eminence in the electronics market.

Al Futtaim Sons will establish a full marketing and sales office and seek to open a dedicated Panasonic outlet showcasing all the latest products. Distribution through the sales channels will be broadened and structured to ensure that customers have convenient access to Panasonic branded products.

One of the most successful business houses in the UAE, Al-Futtaim Sons is the ideal choice for Panasonic as the sole agent in Bahrain. And as Bahrain becomes one of the fastest growing countries in the GCC, Panasonic saw it as a necessity to further penetrate the market with a strong partner.

Mr. Shoji Itoh, Managing Director-Panasonic Middle East said: "Appointing Al-Futtaim Sons as the sole agent for our products in Bahrain is in line with our strategy to add strong, capable partners in important markets. This appointment builds on the excellent growth we have seen and provides another stepping stone to our future expansion plans in the Middle East.

Panasonic now enters a new and important era in the history of our company. We have successfully completed the global brand unification process, which has replaced the National name with a single unified global brand name - Panasonic - for all consumer electronics and home appliance products. This change in brand strategy has come from the company's strong need to consolidate its brand communication efforts under the well-known 'Panasonic' brand which covers over 90% of sales outside Japan."

Vishesh Bhatia, Group Director-Electronics, Al Futtaim Group, said: "Expansion into new geographies is a stated strategy of the electronics division of the Al Futtaim Group. This business segment relies on volume as margins are constantly under pressure. Partnering with Matsushita in the Bahrain market is thus in consonance with this goal. We will continue to actively seek opportunities in other markets where the core distribution competency of the Group can be used to advantage".

The new range of Panasonic home appliance products are now being launched across the Middle East and a new global brand slogan, "Panasonic ideas for life", has been launched to strengthen Panasonic's brand competitiveness and enhance brand value worldwide.

Bhatia continued: "Al-Futtaim Sons' and Panasonic's relationship has grown immensely, and is based on two main factors. Firstly, on professional management teams, deep investments in IT, logistics, manpower planning systems and a decentralised management structure giving the Group an unusual blend of flexibility without sacrificing operational control. Working closely with Matsushita in a spirit of transparency and for the benefit of the end customer is the second factor that accounts for our success in generating significant market presence for Panasonic.

We have both taken great pride and commitment in supplying our customers with innovative and superior electronics products and outstanding customer service - both of which will be in full force in Bahrain".