Jammu: Rising from turmoil

Situated in the midst of the glorious Himalayas, Jammu has its own significant place in the heart of our country. The beauty of its natural landscape has made it one of the most sought-after destinations for adventure-seeking travelers. Jammu, the largest city in the state, is also the winter capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is also known as the 'City of Temples' and is well recognized for its historical monuments. Because of its proximity to the famous holy shrines of Amarnath and Vaishno Devi, it attracts lakhs of visitors annually.

Owing to its relatively better infrastructure, the city has emerged as the main economic center of the state. The IT industry in the city also plays an important role in its development. Churning an annual revenue of approximately Rs 200 crore, the IT market in Jammu has been witnessing a stable growth. "Due to the recent widespread unrest, frequent curfews and shutdowns in Kashmir, the industry has lost a big chunk of business and money, which has affected the growth of the IT market in Jammu," said Inderpal Singh of Aman Technologies.

There are around 125 resellers and dealers, who serve almost every existing business vertical in the city, such as education, corporate, hospitality and SME. The most selling products here are HP laptops, while desktops, printers and networking products from Acer, Lenovo and Sony are also in good demand. Speaking about the new trends coming up in the market, Rakesh Gupta of Source Peripherals explained, "Anti-virus is picking up a huge marketshare, along with all-in-one PCs and netbooks."

Jammu also has an IT association, Jammu Computers Dealers Association (JCDA), which has been actively operating since 2004. According to dealers and resellers, though the computer association has been actively involved in the social welfare activities for channel partners, but it has not been much effective in solving their vendor-related issues. While according to Arvind Koul, President, JCDA and owner of Microcomp Systems, "We are very much capable of solving the genuine problems of channel partners, however, apart from this, we also organize blood donation camps, festive celebrations and regular cricket tournaments for our partners."

When it comes to dealer-vendor relationship, every reseller or dealer faces some kind of problems with vendors, such as delay in delivery of products, service issues, and less focus on dealers' problems. However, these problems will continue to prevail, until some firm steps are taken to resolve them.

Market Name: Jammu

Total Resellers: 125 approx

Surrounding Markets: Rajouri, Doda, Poonch, Kathua

Computer Association: Jammu Computers Dealers Association (JCDA)

Business Verticals: Government, education, corporate, SME, hospitality

Prominent Dealers: Aman Technologies, Microcomp Systems, Source Peripherals, AGM Sales Corporation

Interview

Rakesh Gupta, CEO, Source Peripherals

What are the top selling products and brands in Jammu?

HP Laptops, and desktops, printers and networking laptops from Acer, Lenovo, Sony.

Are there any new trends coming up in the market?

Anti-virus is picking up a huge marketshare, along with all-in-one PCs and netbooks.

What kinds of problems do you face while dealing with vendors?

We generally face back end issues and unavailability of products.

What are your expectations from vendors?

Schemes should be entertained within in 15 days, and they should focus more on our problems.