31. SOGO COMPUTERS: Slow And Steady

START-UP YEAR: 1992;
AGENCY OPERATIONS: Acer, Asus, Intel, LG, LanBit, Samtel, Samsung, Seagate, Sony, TVSE and Western Digital; 

ADDRESS: D 1/1, Hayes Court, 11/9, Off Richmond Rd, Bangalore - 560 025. 

TEL: 080-22273981, 

FAX: 080-22120638

Bangalore-based Sogo Computers clocked an agency revenue of Rs 62 crore in 2002-03, which is a decline of 11% compared to its 2001-02 revenue of Rs 70 crore. According to the company, the negative growth was a result of reduced spending by home users and software companies. Deprived of revenue from these buyers, a bulk of the company’s turnover during last fiscal came from its regional distribution business. Currently, it distributes products from brands such as Sony, Acer, TVS-E, Intel, Samsung, Western Digital, Seagate, LG, Asus, LanBit, Samtel HP and IBM. 

The company also continued to offer custom built PCs, desktops and servers under the Sogo brand. “We have announced our new range of Intel, Celeron-powered mobile computers,” says G Jayamuni Rao, President. Apart from PCs, Sogo sells and supports its range of peripherals and accessories through its reseller network across the southern region. 

During the current fiscal, Sogo is aiming at strengthening its relationships with Samsung and LG, to boost its monitor sales. It is also planning to launch aggressive sales, advertising and marketing campaign across Karnataka, to work its way out of the red. It has set a target to sell 20,000 units of Sogo branded PCs this year.