Acer, the third largest PC vendor in the country, is planning to expand the reach of its Gateway brand of PCs beyond the outlets of Croma, the electronics retail chain of the Tata Group under its wholly owned subsidiary Infinity Retail Ltd. In May this year, the company hived-off its product portfolio into three separate brands–Acer, Gateway and eMachines. The Gateway brand, targeted at the premium, style-conscious segment, was launched in an exclusive tie-up with Croma, which has a network of over 30 stores across the country.
?In the next few months, Acer will be tapping more Croma stores for its Gateway brand. It will also enter into agreements with other modern retail outlets,? said a senior official of the company. An overwhelming response to the product in terms of sales has necessitated the move, he said. At the time of the launch, the company had set a target of selling around 1,000 units of Gateway products in a month. But, the company has overshot the target, the official said.
While eMachines is Acer’s value-for-money brand, Gateway products are priced between Rs 34,999 and Rs 54,999. Acer has also launched a netbook (a compact version of a laptop) under the Gateway brand at a price range of Rs 27,999. The company is said to be in talks with both electronics specific organised retail stores and large format stores and malls like E-Zone and Next. According to market research firm IDC, Acer held the third position in both desktop and netbook shipment during the quarter ended June 2009.
The PC market in the country may witness a slew of launches from PC vendors during the festive season. Earlier, talking to FE, S Rajendran, chief marketing officer of Acer, had said that the company was working on several models, which would have new industrial designs. It would introduce at least 12 products across various segments around Diwali.