The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : UniverCell opens retail outlets in city

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 19, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

UniverCell opens retail outlets in city

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: UniverCell, a leading mobile retail chain in Tamil Nadu, on Saturday opened seven retail outlets in Bangalore and announced its plans to open 33 more across the State.

The chain offers latest mobile phones with best prices, various payment options and good customer service, UniverCell Managing Director Sathish Babu told presspersons here.

“We are in an accelerated expansion phase and it gives us great pleasure to announce that UniverCell will be in different locations in Karnataka by the end of 2007,” he said.

The retail chain has plans to achieve a turnover of Rs. 700 crore this financial year. UniverCell, which sells 40,000 handsets a month and has a customer-base of 15 lakh, is looking at a pan-Indian presence over the next two years.

“Volume has been our strength. Because we deal in high volumes, we have relatively higher bargaining power with manufacturers, and thereby offering handsets at an attractive price. However, we are not in to cut-throat competition,” Mr. Babu told The Hindu.

Mr. Babu said that the mobile phone retail sector was highly unorganised with 98 per cent market share. However, small retailers would either stick to one brand or did not have a wide range of products and thus were unable to offer competitive price. UniverCell, however, had a wide range of products with over 300 models, he said.

UniverCell was the first to offer exchange offers, easy instalments, zero per cent interest, quick loan approvals and mobile e-shop on www.univercell.in, where customers can search among 300 models, compare between multi-brands, buy handsets, mobile content and recharge.

UniverCell’s outlets have been opened at Indiranagar, Seshadripuram, Malleswaram, Jayanagar, Basavanagudi and two in Rajajinagar. One each would shortly be opened at Hebbal and Koramangala.

As an inaugural offer, free gold coins (on select models) and pre-paid connections were being offered on purchase of every handset in Bangalore, Mr. Babu said.

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