Spark forays into retail

With a vision to ex­pand its business in corporate and channel sales New
Delhi-based Spark Techno­logies launched its first exclusive Samsung retail
showroom at Nehru Place. Spread across an area of 900 sq ft the retail outlet
will be home to Samsung products ranging from CRT and TFT monitors, prin­ters,
laptops, plasma scr­eens, and multifunc­tional devices. While Spark has spent
for the physical space of the retail show­room, Samsung has pro­vided the
dealer with demo units giving holistic touch to the showroom.

Spark has been associa­ted with brand Samsung since last one decade and has
not added any compe­titive brand to its portfolio. Speaking about the ratio­nale
behind establi­shing an exclusive showroom at a time when channels have started
seeing value in multi-branded retail junc­tions S Nautiyal, Director, Spark
Technologies said, “As of now Samsung contri­butes to around 30-35 per­cent
of our overall revenue, also it is our philosophy since inception not to deal
with two competing brands that has prompted this decision of having an exclusive
retail outlet.” Nautiyal informed that Spark has forayed into retailing to
strengthen its position further in channel business as well as capture bigger
share of corporate business pie.

When asked about the kind of revenue Spark is anticipating to come from its
Samsung retail show­room Nautiyal quipped, “Talking in general terms retail
showrooms often do not give the kind of busi­ness that they are expected to.
Considering this fact our objective is also not to generate huge revenue from
this retail shop but to widen the scope of our business by leveraging this
retail cum demo center.”

On the issue of selecting Spark for the initiation of its exclusive retail
show­room Sanjay Sharma, VP - IT, Samsung India com­men­ted, “Spark Techno­logies
is one of our key Star Elite partners and we are supporting their retail foray
by setting up a Sam­sung 'Shop in Shop' for our high-end products like MFPs,
LCD monitors and network printers within this new outlet.”

DQC News Bureau New Delhi, July 7