By Ayanna Kirton, Staff ReporterCOURTS JAMAICA has struck a deal with Cable& Wireless Jamaica (C&WJ) to sell its new GSM mobile phones from Courts' twenty-five locations across the island.
According to Courts' managing director, Hayden Singh, C&WJ new GSM compatible phones (Global System for Mobile Communications) afford the furniture and electrical goods company more range in its line of electronics.
"It is our policy to have range in our products and we want to provide our customers with all the best brands to choose from. Courts also distributes Digicel's phones as part of its selection of mobile phones to ensure that its product offering is not limited in variety."
Courts had earlier struck a deal with Digicel to sell its mobile phones. It was generally regarded as normal practice for one big retailer to sell one or the other competitor's phones but with the cellular war becoming increasingly intense, retailers are looking to cash in by offering both sets of phones.
Dennis Harris, deputy-managing director of Courts explained that both Digicel and Cable & Wirelesswill continue to finance the marketing of their products in co-operation with Courts.
MARKETING
Court's Deputy managing director, Dennis Harris said although the details for marketingthe new GSM compatible phones have not been fully worked out with Cable& Wireless, "marketing is usually a co-op arrangement." He also said that Courts' role in financing a marketing venture would depend mainly on the type of promotion and whether it targeted Courts customers in particular.
Harris added that if the advertisements featured other value-added benefits forCourts customers, marketing would be financed jointly and run as a joint promotion between the retailer and the telephone company
Commenting on Courts decision to sell both major competitors' mobile phones, Cable & Wireless' Director of Corporate Communications, Errol Miller said it was not a significant issue. He said that it was not unusual in other countries to have competing brands of various products including mobile service providers available at the same retail outlet.
Representatives from Digicel were unavailable for comment yesterday.
