French phone maker targets 10% market share in Nigeria

    Written by Adeyemi Adepetun

 THE robustness of Nigeria’s mobile phone market came to the fore once again yesterday, with the formal introduction of Wiko Phones into the country.

   Wiko Phones, a French brand actually launched 10 new smart and features phones in Lagos with eyes on 10 per cent market share in the country.

   Speaking at the unveiling, Director, African Markets, Van De Pas said after establishing a strong market position in Europe in just three years, Wiko started its operation in West Africa by launching its portfolio of 10 phones in Nigeria Wednesday. 
   De Pas said Nigerian consumers are amongst the first in Africa to enjoy the “French touch” experience that has become a phenomenal success story across Europe.

   According to him, with the launch in Nigeria, Wiko is now in 20 countries including France, Italy, Spain, UAE, Morocco, Algeria, South Africa, Netherlands and others, stressing that “the brand targets 10 per cent market share in the country.”

   De Pas, who said that though the phone is from France, disclosed that, “Wiko’s manufacturing plant is situated in China. This is where virtually all the other manufacturers have their factories.”

   He informed that the firm is not considering siting a plant in Nigeria now, stressing that it is not cheap to do that now and even in France, the headquarter of Wiko “this prompted the choice of China, where both human and material resources appear to be a bit cheaper and available. However, majority of our engineers are from France.”

    The African Market Director, who puts smartphone penetration in Nigeria at 20 per cent, said Wiko controls 13.3 per cent global market share after, Samsung, Nokia, Apple at 41.7 per cent; 8.2 per cent and 6.3 per cent respectively. He also said the brand is number two in France.

   According to him, Wiko phones, which are dual in nature, have about 11 varieties, and came with 12 months warranty.

    Speaking on the choice of Nigeria, De Pas said the country is “where it is happening now. The country is the toast of every manufacturer globally because of its uniqueness and the robustness. Mobile device sales are up to three million per month.”

     He added that Nigeria is a fast growing smartphone market driven by the Android platform. He said several point of sales terminals have been put up in the country to expand Wiko’s reach. 

     On the products, he said for those who require the very latest technology, “it doesn’t get any better than the flagship model, Highway. It is one of the first smartphones to use 2.0 GHz Octa-Core technologies. The Highway’s exceptional features include a Gorilla Glass body, super bright 5” FHD screen, 16MP back camera and 8MP front camera.”

    According to him, a smartphone that guarantees superior speed and performance, the Highway is one of the best-in-class smartphones available in Nigeria.

   He said the Rainbow brand is a lifestyle statement for the fashion-forward, which comes With 5” HD screen, 1.3GHz Quad-Core and 8MP camera to capture all the social moments, the Rainbow defines Wiko’s French chic with a sleek design and a burst of colour options.

 De Pas said entry-level smartphone users can choose from Wiko’s Goa, Bloom, Sunset, Fizz and Lenny for the most user-friendly smartphone experience, stressing that in this range, Lenny is a remarkable choice with 5” FWVGA screen, 1.3GHz Dual-Core and 5MP camera.

Culled from http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/business