Jabra in exclusive pact with Redington to expand in India

BANGALORE, INDIA: An exclusive alliance in mobile-accessory segment is set to take the niche industry by storm.

Jabra, the global leader in hands free solutions, has appointed Redington as their exclusive distributor for Jabra mobile communication devices in India. Redington is the largest end-to-end supply chain management of IT and non-IT products across India, Singapore, Middle East and Africa. This strategic partnership is set to develop and grow Jabra’s India’s market share in the consumer and retail channels.

Statistics show that India’s mobile accessories market is estimated to be around US$300 million for 2010 with a growth of about 20% per annum. Within this, the Bluetooth accessories’ market alone is worth about US$45 million.

Jonathan Tang, MD of Jabra, said: “India is one of the most important markets for us. We see this exclusive pact with Redington as a synergistic approach to reset and develop India consumer and retail segments. To quote an example of our key growth market - China.

“Over the last two years, owing to exclusive partner and dedicated channel support, market share in China has grown significantly and Jabra stands at No. 2 in the competitive market place. With Jabra’s expertise and innovative, exciting product roadmap for 2011, I am confident that we will increase our presence and visibility throughout India.”

With significant product innovation and go-to-market advantages over other global and regional brands, Jabra is the undisputed leader in handsfree solution devices. Jabra’s vision is to provide a total solution and the best-user experience to the end users with freedom in communicating. At Jabra, there is a coming together of divisions, from Sales to R&D, focusing on optimizing voice communication experience on Jabra’s products.

Kasturi Rangan, president, Redington (India), said: "Bluetooth devices are not looked as mere accessories anymore in India. They are turning out to be lifestyle products with youth exploiting the technology to the core. We believe "Jabra" is a strong brand well represented in both ends of the segment and goes well with our channel for Smart phones and other premium accessories."

He added, “With our pan-India presence and retail strength, we are confident of growing Jabra’s market share in India.”

Redington is also the exclusive distributor for Blackberry smartphones and an
authorized distributor for Apple iPods and iMac. Coupled with a strong presence in the Large Format Retail space (LFR), this in a way, gives us more mileage in connecting our customers.

The first step of the channel expansion has already taken place, with regional distributors in key metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, being appointed already. The next steps would be to reach out to India’s Tier II network in the coming months.