Since its retail debut late last year, Sahara Computers has seen an upsurge in sales while participating retailers report a hike in IT interest within their stores. "Since launching Sahara PCs into our stores, there has been a significant surge in IT sales," confirms Andre Wellen, a buyer at Stax.
Despite the widespread reluctance of distributors to sell into retail stores, Sahara recognised that most retailers were unable to obtain quality IT products at competitive pricing.
"Once we identified this market need, the decision was taken to make our products available through Pick 'n Pay HyperMarket stores during the 2001 Christmas season - a move which resulted in record Christmas sales," comments Atul Gupta, Sahara Group MD.
Braam van Wyk, national audio and visual buyer at Pick 'n Pay Hypermarket, agrees: "We are satisfied with the quality and price competitiveness that we have been able to offer our customers. It is rare to find a product, especially a PC, where competitive advantage is not achieved at the expense of the quality of the product."
Since December 2001, Sahara has extended its retail operations and its products are now available at Pick 'n Pay Hypermarkets, Dion, Game, Makro, Stax and Trade Centre. Products made available through these channels include Sahara PCs and peripherals; Samsung monitors and optical disc drives (ODDs); as well as multimedia products from Creative Labs.
Massdiscounters merchandise executive, Tyrone Vieira, comments on Sahara's launch into Game and Dion stores: "The Sahara brand is perfectly positioned for our customers who are looking for a high quality product and excellent after-sales service at an affordable price."
Boasting a line-up of Tier 1 components, Sahara endeavours to control its price point without sacrificing quality. Says Gupta: "Aggressive pricing has always been a key component of the Sahara strategy and its retail operations are no different. However, Sahara Computers' uncompromising commitment to quality is the main reason for the success of the brand on the retail front."
And this is not only Gupta's opinion, as proven by the recent vote of confidence Sahara received from SA Computer Magazine. "In the October issue of the magazine, 10 'out-of-the-box' PCs were evaluated in terms of value to the end-user and the Sahara PC received the 'Best on Test' honours, which further highlights the brand's favour in the market," he adds.
In spite of this, Zane Parton, buyer at Trade Centre, concurs that launching PCs into a mass discount environment like Trade Centre is never easy. "Competition is tough and perceptions do not change easily. The quality and aggressive pricing of the Sahara PCs made our entrance into the PC retail space smoother than most and very successful."
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