UAE-based Cellucom to open 2,000 outlets in 3 yrs

Dubai, Apr 13: UAE telecoms retailer and distributor Cellucom has signed a franchise agreement to open 2,000 stores in India over the next three years, a company official said.

The firm has linked up with several key Indian retailers, including Lifestyle, Spencers and Music World, to operate outlets within existing stores on a shop-in-a-shop basis. Cellucom will also open stand-alone stores.

''By the end of three years we expect India will provide 70 per cent of our revenues,'' Cellucom Managing Director Arun Nagar said.

''Our India expansion is a masterplan franchise agreement with large businesses in India, which will be providing large capital expenditure,'' Emirates Today reported him as saying.

''Our role is to support them with stock, technical expertise and after sales service,'' Nagar said predicting Cellucom's revenues will grow 20 per cent in 2007, following an 18 per cent rise in 2006, compared to the year before.

The company currently derives 60 per cent of these revenues from distribution, with the remainder retail based, but Nagar predicts these percentages will be reversed by the end of the year.

UNI