ASUS plans expansion in India, to set up 12 more Republic of Gamers stores

ASUS already has eight gaming cafes in cities like Chennai, Bengaluru and Delhi, uses these franchise-owned facilities to sell products and for users to experience games and the devices

Bullish on gaming segment, Taiwanese tech major ASUS will continue to expand its offline retail presence and set up 12 more 'Republic of Gamers' (ROG) Exclusive stores across the country to help potential buyers experience the products, a top company official said.

The company, which already has eight such gaming cafes in cities like Chennai, Bengaluru and Delhi, uses these franchise-owned facilities to sell products and for users to experience games and the devices.

"We have eight ROG Exclusive stores right now, and while we had plans to ramp this up aggressively, the Covid-19 pandemic slowed us a bit. However, we are still bullish on the whole concept," ASUS India Business Head of Consumer and Gaming PC (System Business Group) Arnold Su told PTI.

"This model not only helps us reach new customers but also helps us in building the gaming ecosystem in the country," he said.

He added that the company plans to ramp the number of outlets to 20 by the second quarter of 2021, including in cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Bengaluru.

"By the year-end, we should have 13-14 operational stores. We are following strict safety and sanitation measures at these outlets. While a lion's share of gaming-related purchases happens online, we feel it is also important to let consumers experience the devices and get an immersive experience,"

He added that in 2016, gaming PC market was about 40,000 units annually. This has grown significantly and sales of gaming PCs are expected to be around 100,000 units per quarter in 2020.

Su noted that ASUS has three product lines for gaming enthusiasts -- Vivobook (device for casual gamer), TUF (mid-segment) and ROG (high-end users).

"About 8 per cent of the overall consumer PC market is gaming devices, and this share is expected to grow to 10-13 per cent this year and 20-30 per cent by 2022-23.

"For ASUS, gaming segment already accounts for 20 per cent of the volume of our consumer PC business and is growing at a strong pace," he added.

ASUS aims to have 40 per cent market share in the gaming PC market in India by Q4 2021.