Vertu opens new store in Jakarta
Vertu opens new store in Jakarta
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
To increase its share in the Indonesian market, luxury mobile
phone manufacturer Vertu opened on Friday its latest outlet in
the country at a six-star hotel here in Jakarta.
The England-based producer of handcrafted mobile phones has
more than 200 outlets worldwide.
The new outlet -- at the Ritz Carlton Hotel -- is the
company's fifth here since it began operations in April last
year. The other four outlets are located at the Plaza Indonesia
Entertainment X Center (EX) in Jakarta, the Sheraton Hotel in
Bandung, the Hyatt Hotel in Surabaya and the Grand Angkasa in
Medan.
"The opening of the new outlet in the Ritz Carlton Hotel in
Jakarta, was based on the similar values (the two brands' share),
which are luxury and prestige," Vertu Southeast Asia Pacific
sales director Eric Lee said.
Lee said that Indonesia, along with Hong Kong and Singapore,
were among the biggest Vertu markets in Asia, although he refused
to give specific numbers.
"Vertu is a very small brand compared to others because it's a
niche product. It markets on very low volume but sells at high
prices, so in terms of markets share, it should be quite low."
Vertu had nearly acquired a 1 percent share in the Southeast
Asia-Pacific mobile phone market, he said.
"In luxury markets we don't really set sales targets. We are
focusing more on building the brand and presence; a commitment to
the market," Lee said.
At the opening of the new outlet, Vertu, which has two
established cell phone designs -- Vertu Signature and Vertu
Accent -- introduces the latest model, the Vertu Accent Pink
aimed at women.
The phone is equipped with features including tri-band (GSM
900, 1800, 1900) services, bluetooth, voice dialling, special
Vertu ringtones, GPRS, multimedia messaging (MMS) and a short
message service (SMS).
Vertu Global Communication Director Constance Chew said women
who owned a Vertu Accent Pink phone would get privileges in
exclusive restaurants, bars, and spas.
"They will get, for instance, complementary champagne or
discount privileges," she said.
Prices of Vertu phones, which can have platinum, 18-carat
white gold, 18-carat yellow gold or stainless steel
specifications, range from S$7,950 to S$12,000 a handset.(001)