Videocon revives Nordmende brand

Videocon Industries, a maker of consumer electronics, is reviving the Nordmende brand to boost its expansion plans in Europe. It had bought the brand from Thomson in 2005.

Videocon is spending about ¤1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) to build a new television manufacturing plant in Italy and upgrade another facility in the country, Marco Padella, managing director of Nordmende Italia, said at a presentation in Milan today. The investment includes about ¤220 million granted by the Italian government and local authorities.

"The Nordmende brand is full of value. It is associated with quality, sturdiness and performance,'' Padella said. "A new era for Nordmende is starting today.''

The company will manufacture plasma-screen, liquid-crystal-display and traditional televisions in Italy for the European markets. This will allow it to meet "just-in-time'' orders and optimise distribution in the region, the company said. The new plant, near Caserta in Southern Italy, will be operational in the last quarter of 2009, the company said.

Nordmende TVs and DVD players went on sale this week in Italy, the company said, adding that they will soon be available in Spain and in Germany by September.

"The biggest markets for Nordmende were Germany and Italy,'' Padella said. In Italy, the company plans to have sales of ¤150 million and a market share of 5 per cent at the end of the first year.