RCom forays into handset distribution biz

Reliance Webstore, the retail arm of Reliance Communications, today said it has forayed into handset distribution and plans to have a network of 10,000 outlets across the country in the next three years.

As part of the venture, the company has already signed up over 1,200 handset retailers and multibrand outlets in nearly 100 towns, the company said in a statement.

Besides, Reliance Webstore has also tied up with Coolpad Communications, a subsidiary of China Wireless to market the Chinese firm's smartphones in India.

"The company (Reliance Webstore) has diversified into handset distribution business in addition to its current focus of handset retailing for Reliance World and Reliance Mobile stores," the statement added.

Reliance Webstore currently retails mobile phones through its Reliance World Stores and contributes around 50 per cent of the company's overall revenue business.

"Over the next 3 years, Reliance Webstore is targetting a distribution network of over 10,000 multi branded outlets and retailers spread across 700 Indian cities," it said.

At present, the company has 232 Reliance World stores across 104 cities in the country.

"We continually identify new growth opportunities by leveraging our group's system across multiple sectors and competitive advantage of Reliance Webstore's overall retail network," Reliance Webstore Director and CEO Sarup Chowdhury said.