SOHO rules for Karur partners

Known as the textile capital of Tamil Nadu, Karur is situated on the banks of Amaravati. Karur district was formed on September 1995 by triplicating Tiruchirappalli district. It is the administrative headquarters of Karur District. The town and the country side is made fertile by the perennial flows of the Kaveri River on the northern side and also the Amaravati, Nalkasi, Kudaganar and Noyyal rivers. The area is famous worldwide for its hand-loom textile products. Karur is also famous for its home textiles. The city is a hub for bus body building industries. Most of the South Indian private bus bodies are built in Karur.

Apart from the textile industry, the information technology market of Karur also deserves a special mention. The market has picked up its momentum since the past few years and even in the current scenario, the partners are able to churn out a decent revenue from the market. According to V Balachandran, CEO, Apple Systems, the market is doing good these days. He said, "We are getting 10% of our business from corporates, 20% of our business from SOHO segment, while the rest of the business comes from the home segment." Agreed M Karikalan Nanda Kumar, CEO, Triumph Technologies. He said, "Sales remain ok from the past few months. However, corporate sector is going down and SOHO segment is doing good."

Talking about the most sold products and brands of the city, Balachandran said, "Lenovo, Sony, Acer, HP are the top selling brands of the city while the most sold products are laptops and IBM servers." For Nanda Kumar it is Sony VAIO, Lenovo and HP which sells most and among products it is mostly laptops and desktops. The local IT association functioning at the region is Karur IT Association (KITA). Talking about the same, Balachandran said, "There are about 50 members in KITA. It is quite active in the region and holds regular meetings." Nanda Kumar also said in concurrence that KITA functions well in the city and is regular in its activities.

With minimal service support issue reported in the city, the dealers claim that the vendor-dealer relationship is otherwise fine in Karur. The dealer are also hopeful that the business will improve after August as schools will reopen and buying will return to normal.

Market Name: Karur

Market Location: Tamil Nadu

Market Size: Rs 50-55 crore

Surrounding Markets: Chennai, Erode, Salem, Trichy

Computer Association: Karur IT Association (KITA)

Prominent Dealers: Apple Systems, Novel Systems, Triumph Technologies, PC World

Business Verticals: SOHO

Number of Active Dealers: 80

Interview 1:

V Balachandran, CEO, Apple Systems

What are the growth verticals in Karur?

We are getting 10% of our business from corporates, 20% of our business from SOHO segment, while the rest of the business comes from the home segment.

How has the market been in the last 2 months?

January was very good and so was February, but March is a little down.

What are the major problems you face with your vendors?

Service support issues are there.

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Interview 2:

M Karikalan Nanda Kumar, CEO, Triumph Technologies

What are the top selling products in your city?

Laptops and desktops.

How active is KITA in the region?

It is quite active in the region and holds regular meetings.

How many dealer are their in the city?

Around 70-80 dealers.