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Esquire inks LG distribution deal

Nicola Mawson
By Nicola Mawson
Johannesburg, 01 Aug 2012

IT hardware and digital lifestyle distributor Esquire Technologies has signed a distribution deal to distribute LG Electronics' ICT and consumer product ranges.

MD Asgar Mahomed says the agreement is “extremely strategic”. He explains the group increasingly aims to add tier one products to its range. “We expect the LG range to be one of our key focal points going forward,” he adds.

Esquire distributes PC components and carries brands such as Asus, Kingston, Seagate, Hitachi, Samsung, Intel and AMD. It also stocks LCD TVs, projectors, DVD players, home theatre systems and components, as well as high-end components for gaming enthusiasts, notebooks and accessories.

Esquire distributes to resellers, distributors, system integrators and system builders in SA, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia. LG Electronics works in 115 operations, including 84 subsidiaries around the world.

Turnover boost

Mahomed says adding LG's range, including monitors, projectors and optical storage, will have a material impact on Esquire's revenue in the next year. “The LG brand is a highly respected consumer brand,” he says.

Esquire will direct LG's range through its virtual reseller network, which allows its partners almost real-time access to its stock levels and product listings. The tool allows its distributors to put together quotes while meeting with clients, and stock holdings are automatically updated.

The company aims to have 2 000 of its 12 000 resellers signed up to the system, which took eight years and about R8 million to develop, by year-end.

Esquire has also been opening bricks and mortar outlets, called Xpress stores. It has opened an outlet in Port Elizabeth and will expand the concept at its Midrand head office. An outlet in Bloemfontein is also set to be launched.

Mahomed adds that a JSE-listing is a “possibility in the long term”.