Samsung opens its biggest store in East Africa

Samsung has opened its largest store in East and Central Africa, in Nairobi.

The shop will see the company join the price war that has been pitched by rival low-cost handset vendors.

Set up at Monrovia Street, the shop is 5,000 square feet, and stands out among its rivals such as Techno and Huawei. It will act as a one-stop shop for the company’s range of mobile products.

“We’ll spend over Sh200 million in putting up more stores this year, we are number one worldwide, our stores represent the global image we portray outside Kenya,” said Robert Ngeru, vice-president, Samsung East Africa.

He added that the centre gives its customers an opportunity to experience variety of services and products, which the firm has launched into the market.

Communications Authority of Kenya has reported 80 per cent mobile penetration rate in Kenya.

Techno, Huawei, Infinix, Wiko, HTC among other brands have posed stiff competition to Samsung, pushing the South Korean firm to solidify its base in the market.

Mr Ngeru, however, noted that current consumer trends driven by innovation, technology and lifestyle informed the plan to set up the store. A number of gadgets at the store will be sold at half price for two days.

Over 15 employees are set to be hired by the company to serve at the shop. It consists of a customer service centre, gaming zone, a lunch and bar area where customers can have a soft drink.

Samsung already has stores in Westlands and at Hilton Hotel. It also stocks its brands at Safaricom outlets for quick sales. Plans are underway to expand the network into other towns, with 30 more stores countrywide.