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Amid market rumours that Apple, the maker of the popular iPhones and iPads, is planning to bring in global retail major Brightstar to sell its devices in India, Redington India, one of the California-based company’s key distributors says that it has not heard about any change in the distribution landscape in the country. Instead, the Chennai-based company says that with Apple talking about growing the business manifold, ‘there is going to be a huge growth and opportunity’.
“We have a leading position as far as market share is concerned in India,” said Redington India’s Managing Director Raj Shankar said in a recent conversation with analysts. “Given that Apple has got some very ambitious and aggressive plans for the next three to four years, what we understand that they (Apple) are looking at growing the business by 7-10X, there is going to be a huge growth and opportunity,”
He also clarified that the company has not received any official written communication from Apple on any change in its distribution plans.
However, he added that “Our sense is that there will be a realignment of geography and our sense is there will be a realignment of the customer segments and that is what at this point in time I am afraid (of). I may not be able to say too much other than yes, there is going to be another player but again it also have to be taken in the context of the business.”
Last week, Redington’s share price slid 6.58% to Rs 123.45 after media reports said that Apple was considering bringing in a distributor into India.
Redington India and Ingram Micro are the authorised distributors of Apple products in India.
Shankar said that Apple continues to be a very important brand and business for the company.
“We believe that in the last two and a half years that we have been engaged with Apple distributing their iPhone in spite of two-distributor scenario, we have a significant market share … anywhere in the vicinity of about 60-65 (per cent).
“And we believe in the period going forward given this kind of a huge opportunity, we will continue to be a leading company in terms of our market share both on the iPhone as well as their Mac business,” Shankar said. He added that while Apple is a very important client, the company has also had huge success with some of the other smartphone vendors.
“Given the change in the distribution landscape, the company believes it also gives an opportunity to continue to play the smartphone not necessarily only with Apple which, of course, will be our primary brand but we will also rope in many others,” he said, pointing out that Redington has built a portfolio of about at least 6-7 smartphone brands.
