Acer India strengthens retail operations

Acer India today opened four Acer malls across Delhi and NCR. The new malls have been opened in partnership with some leading names in the IT hardware channel like Trifin Technologies, Digital Solutions, Y2K technologies and Prolab computers. Like all Acer Malls across the country, these outlets will showcase the entire range of Acer desktops, notebooks and consumer peripherals, which will include the Aspire series of consumer PCs, the TravelMate notebook series and projectors. The new Malls are located in
Faridabad, Nehru Place, Lakshmi Nagar and Lajpat Nagar. These stores are the first exclusive brand stores of Acer in Delhi and part of the initiative to increase the number of Acer retail outlets to over 200 by end of 2005. 

S Rajendran, GM, Sales & Marketing, Consumer Product Group, Acer India commented, "Retail is the way forward for the PC industry. Our retail business has been growing at over 50% quarter on quarter and each of the product categories, which we address through retail too have experienced the same amount of growth. This initiative in Delhi is to address this trend in the market and provide customers the experience of 'feel and touch' of the product prior to the purchase. In
an environment such as ours, where the consumer is bombarded by multiple brands each day, retailing becomes a key medium to reach out to them". 

Acer has Acer Malls and Acer Points across the country and is on a major expansion drive. Its retail stores fall into two categories. The first is a full shop or 'Acer Mall', which will comprise of Acer products and non-competing products.

In the second category, one section of the store will display Acer. The second category stores are known as 'Acer Points.' Presently there are over 30 Acer Malls and 120 Acer Points across the country. The support provided by Acer for its retail partners covers virtually all-important areas from a retail perspective. The vendor provides storeowners with branding and visual merchandising for the stores in the form of standees, banners and external and internal signage. It also takes full responsibility for training sales staff at the outlet via its comprehensive Acer Certified Sales Professional
(ACSP) program. 

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