Business   

Samsung unveils range of HD, LCD, Plasma TVs

CHENNAI: Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd. would aim for a 45 per cent market share in FPTV (flat panel display television) space in 2008. In 2007, its share in the Indian FPTV market was 42 per cent. R. Zutshi, Deputy Managing Director of Samsung India, said the industry sales numbers for FPTVs stood at 4 lakh in 2007. This number would go up to 9 lakh in 2008. Currently a leader in the LCD category with 42 per cent share (1.68 lakh units) of the market, Samsung was hoping to sell around 4 lakh units in 2008. “We expect to grow by 140 per cent over last year to garner at least 45 per cent share of the LCD market this year,” he said.

Expansion of reach through more multi-brand outlets, increasing the total number of brand stores to 200 from 115 and focussing on tapping large format retail stores were among the initiatives that Samsung was planning this year to drive the sales of FPTVs, he said. “We see a remarkable growth in non-metro cities,”

Mr. Zutshi said, underlining Samsung’s keenness to move into Tier-II and Tier-III cities. Samsung on Thursday unveiled a new range of HD (high definition) LCD and Plasma TVs here. With the launch of the new range, Samsung, he said, was looking at owning the full HD platform in the Indian market.

The HD TV range (in LCD and Plasma categories) sported smooth finish infused with a hint of a translucent colour, which, Mr. Zutshi said, was a patented design.

With sales of 1.5 million units in 2007, Samsung enjoyed a 21.4 per cent share in the Indian flat-screen TV market. In the current year, it was confident of selling 2.1 million units and improving the market share to 25 per cent. Mr. Zutshi, however, put his bet on FPTVs to drive the company’s overall numbers and brand image in the days to come.

In an interaction with this correspondent, he said Samsung had indeed forced to increase refrigerator price by three per cent last month due to cost pressures. The company was also contemplating a 3-4 per cent price increase on air-conditioners. In air-conditioners, he was expecting Samsung to sell 2.2 million pieces in 2008, up from 1.8 million in 2007. The company, he said, would aim to garner a market share of 65 per cent in air-conditioners. Mr. Zutshi expected Samsung to post a 40 per cent sales in CTV in the second quarter over the same period last year in the wake of new product launches and the ongoing Indian Premier League-devised T-20 Cricket series. He was confident of Samsung posting a 30 per cent growth in revenue in 2008, which currently stood at $1.35 billion.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

RBI issues final norms for banks’ recovery agents
Murugappas to exit sanitaryware business
Wipro, Infosys to invest Rs. 500 cr. each in West Bengal
Maruti Q4 net at Rs. 298 crore
‘U.S. crisis may not hit Accenture’
Rattha to develop IT SEZ
Samsung unveils range of HD, LCD, Plasma TVs
IT stocks in limelight
Rupee tumbles
Exchange Rates
Bullion Rates
Central Bank net up
Financial closure of Mundra power project
GVK Power income up 26%
HDFC Bank declares 85% dividend
EID Parry (India) recommends 25%
Coromandel Fertilisers declares 175%
Century Plyboards buys Sharonply brand
Indesit launches home appliances range
Reliance Money ties up with Triveni Group

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu