The Telecom sector is a natural and logical extension to Redington’s business portfolio considering its capabilities as a supply chain leader. In an era of convergence between IT and Telecom, the foray has complemented the company’s business strategy.
The division was set-up in Nigeria in 2006 and is currently operational in four African markets including Kenya, Ghana and Uganda. It is the only division within Redington that is yet to make a full-fledged foray into the Middle East markets.
The division has an exclusive understanding with Nokia to distribute its mobile phones within these countries. Despite its focus on select markets and brands, Telecom makes up for over 50% of Redington Africa’s revenue stream.
Telecom’s market leading operations is responsible for over half of Nokia’s sales across all operating countries. Its in-country presence, in the form of warehousing, sales force, finance and support functions, has allowed it to grow at a rate of 25% each year.
14 dedicated Telecom warehouses catering to one brand in four countries have helped boost confidence among all its channel partners. It has even appointed four service centres (Nokia care) to ensure complete customer satisfaction.
The division has a select mix of local and expatriate professionals that understand local customer needs and aspirations. This ensures that the division gets the right products for the right price at the right time.
Having focused mainly on Africa, Telecom is expanding into the Middle East with additional Telecom brands. Smart phones will be the big focus in the years to come while possibilities of adding accessories and applications to its repertoire of offerings are also being studied and explored.
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