HOME Ring signs ABM as MENA distributor
Smart home solutions vendor Ring has appointed Arab Business Machines (ABM) as a distributor for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. ABM will promote and distribute Ring’s home security products and solutions and offer value-added services through its extensive channel partner network. ABM will distribute Ring’s products in the UAE, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Iraq.
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Huawei CBG eyes Middle East potential
Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) has reiterated its commitment to Middle East markets and highlighted the growth opportunities that exist in the region. Glory Cheung, chief marketing officer at Huawei CBG, stated: “We see tremendous potential in the Middle East markets and are pleased to support the region’s agenda of fostering innovation.”
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Panasonic plans MEA marketing push
Consumer tech brand Panasonic will launch a new marketing campaign in the Middle East & Africa (MEA) region with the tag line, ‘Makers of Quality. Mastered in Japan’. The brand hopes to reinvigorate itself as a leading Japanese brand offering innovative and premium quality products. Panasonic also wants to increase its market penetration through strategic alliances with key retailers in the region.
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Huawei appoints retailer director in UAE
Huawei consumer business group (CBG) has appointed Rishi Kishor Gupta as retailer director for the UAE. Based in Dubai, Gupta will spearhead Huawei’s retail channels in the UAE and strengthen retail partnerships, aiming to provide customers easy access to Huawei’s cutting-edge technologies. Gupta has a wealth of retail channel experience and joins Huawei from regional retail powerhouse Sharaf DG.
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INTERVIEW: Dikran Tchablakian, Tecbuy
If wisdom comes from experience, then it is little wonder that Dikran Tchablakian can offer deep insight into the trends impacting consumer tech retail in the Middle East. Tchablakian was awarded the Retail Executive of the Decade honour in 2016 by DISTREE Middle East, in recognition of his achievements and position within the retail channel. With vast experience across the region, spanning physical retail and e-tail with CompuMe, Tecbuy and now also letstango.com, Tchablakian’s views on the structural dynamics of the Middle East retail channel are more important than ever as we enter a period of accelerated change.
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DISTREE Middle East 2018 consumer tech channel event scheduled for April 22-24 in UAE
DISTREE Middle East 2018 will take place on April 22-24th in the UAE. The three-day channel event unites consumer technology brands and distributors with senior executives and buyers from the region’s leading retailers and e-tailers. Exhibitors pre-schedule one-on-one meetings with retailers and e-tailers attending the event, enabling them to target specific markets or channels for their product portfolio.
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iBRIT strikes Saudi Arabian partnership
Smartphone brand iBRIT has signed a strategic partnership and distribution deal in Saudi Arabia. Haitham Kalakash, CEO of iBRIT, has confirmed that iBRIT is working with distributor Etihad Specialized Trading (EST) in the Kingdom. EST is a subsidiary of the Assr Aljawal Group, which has been operating since 2005.
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Ingram Micro named Red Hat training reseller in UAE
Ingram Micro Training MEA, a provider of instructor-led technical training, is partnering with Red Hat as a Red Hat training reseller for the UAE. With this partnership, Ingram Micro is now authorised to resell Red Hat Training services, including open enrolment courses, on-site courses and Red Hat’s complete online delivery portfolio.
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Majid Al Futtaim, a leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, recently acquired Retail Arabia, the franchise owner of 26 Geant stores across the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait as well as 4 Gulfmart supermarkets in Bahrain. The deal has been agreed between Majid Al Futtaim and Retail Arabia’s parent company BMA International. As part of the Majid Al Futtaim retail offering, Carrefour currently operates over 160 stores in 15 markets across the MENA region.
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Amazon completes Souq.com acquisition
E-commerce giant Amazon has confirmed the official completion of the acquisition of Souq.com. As the first step of integration, customers can now log on to Souq.com using their Amazon credentials. Souq.com claims that by becoming part of Amazon it can bring even more products and services to customers in the region and further expand ‘Fulfilled by Souq’ to empower sellers. "It is an exhilarating time for the e-commerce industry in the region,” said Souq.com CEO and co-founder Ronaldo Mouchawar.
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