From left; Adnan Matbouli, CEO of United Matbouli Group, Kyung Tae Bae Regional Samsung President and CEO, Guest of Honor Adnan Mandoura, JCCI Secretary-General, and Park Jae Cheon, Samsung Saudi General Manager. — Courtesy photo Laura Bashraheel Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Samsung Electronics Ltd. launched on Wednesday its first Premium Store in Red Sea Mall. The store, which was launched in partnership with FMP, one of its distributors, is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia. The concept revolves around the ultimate showroom journey for Smart devices and latest innovations by Samsung, including as-you-go services and a technical support window for smartphones, TVs, digital cameras and household appliances. Qusai Mukhtar, Samsung public relations specialist, said in the past, people would look at product's design and price when deciding what to buy but now people look at the added value the product brings to their lives. “This shop is for people to experience the products in a way that tells them what value it will add to their homes and daily lives. Every corner of this shop tells you how you can benefit from a certain category. For example, in the Smart TV corner, the store provides you with information on what applications you need for your home or kids. Basically, the store tells you how you can maximize your benefits from Samsung products,” Mukhtar explained. Recently, a new survey by Axiom Telecom and YouGov found that Samsung is the most popular smartphone brand in Saudi Arabia. 36 percent of a large pool of smartphone consumers from across the Kingdom claimed to own devices from the South Korean tech pioneer, with 25 percent opting for Apple. In 2011, Samsung consolidated sales amounted $143.1 billion, employing approximately 227,000 people in 203 offices across 75 countries. Adnan Matbouli, CEO of United Matbouli Group, Kyung Tae Bae Regional Samsung President and CEO, Park Jae Cheon, Samsung Saudi General Manager and guest of honor Adnan Mandoura, JCCI secretary-general opened the store. Matbouli, in his opening statement, underlined the importance of his company's valuable and strategic partnership with Samsung Electronics. “In the past, prices and designs of our devices were the key criteria and the main motive behind the consumer's interest to buy. However today, consumers call on that specific added-value for each product to be unique and relevant for an easier and smarter life. We are proud today to materialize this demand and answer the call through offering the Saudi consumer the Samsung Premium Store model for a true brand experience,” Kyung Tae Bae said while announcing plans to launch more model stores to complement the value of Samsung products.
