Even before the ink has dried on the South Asian Free Trade Agreement signed in Islamabad on January 6, Videocon International has laid out plans to capture a third of the two million units a year Pakistani colour television (CTV) market. | |
| The company had sent a team to Pakistan six months ago to evaluate the market, said V N Dhoot, chairman, Videocon International. |
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| The CTV market in Pakistan is dominated by local brands with MNC players like LG and Sony accounting for just 18 per cent. |
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| "Indian electronic products are considered of a better quality than Chinese imports. So within a year we hope to capture a third of the market," said Dhoot. |
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| His team's research has shown that the MNC brands are considered too premium in Pakistan, and the demand is huge for CTVs in the sub Rs 10,000 price range. |
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| "A brand like Sansui is a perfect in such a market," he added. |
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| Videocon has a manufacturing base in neighbouring Bangladesh but the operations had run into trouble last year. |
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| "Now that the business environment is congenial all across south Asia, we will soon sort out our problems in Bangladesh as well," Dhoot Said. |
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| The company has a combined market share of nearly 30 per cent in India with its three colour TV (CTV) brands "" Videocon, Akai, Toshiba and Sansui. |
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| Dhoot is not alone in drafting such plans as other Indian CTV makers like BPL and Salora are also studying the opportunity. |
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| "Pakistan is potentially a big market and we are closely examining the ways we can tap the opportunity," said Ajit Nambiar, chairman, BPL Ltd. |
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| "The consumer requirement in both the countries is more or less the same. So price-positioning of products becomes easy. Opening up of the Pakistan market means we all can utilise our capacities much better," said Rajeev Karwal, CEO Electrolux India. |
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| Television manufacturer Salora already exports around 3,000 black & white televisions and CTVs to Bangladesh. |
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| According to a company source, the Pakistan opportunity might even revive the company's flagging fortunes in India. |
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