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)