Gitex Shopper 2013 record sell-out: Dh245m in 8 days; laptops were hottest selling

The undisputed success of Gitex Shopper 2013 which drew to a close on October 12, has taken the annual results for the region’s biggest and most influential consumer electronics show to new levels in both visitor numbers and sales generated.

With the show delivering two editions every year, Gitex Shopper Spring and Gitex Shopper, the consumer electronics show is helping retailers and big name tech brands to showcase new product launches and innovations almost as quickly as they are being introduced internationally.

“This is the inaugural year for the double edition of Gitex Shopper and we are delighted to report exceptional success for both versions,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, DWTC. “Technology, especially in the IT environment, develops at the fastest rate of almost any industry in the world and in order to keep pace for consumers in our region we need more than one platform a year to deliver the best deals and introduce the latest updated gadgets.”

Highlights at Gitex Shopper 2013 included new launches in almost every product segment – from computers to cameras to smartphones to headphones and more.

Power retailers and the world’s leading brands reported record sales across the board, with an estimated Dh245 million generated across the eight days. The much anticipated event attracted 210,324 visitors – drawn to the unrivalled range of new products, unbeatable prices and fabulous prizes that ranged from cameras and tablets to Opel Astra GTC and BMW cars.

“Gitex Shopper 2013 has once again proved that Dubai's appetite for technology is still growing,” said Ashish Panjabi, Chief Operating Officer at Jacky’s Electronics, commented. “This is the first year we’ve had two Gitex Shopper events and in spite of that we’ve seen an improvement on sales over last year.  Logistically the flow of the overall event was much smoother than in previous years and credit for this goes to all stakeholders involved with the event.

“Product categories like laptops grew in unit sales during this event and still contributed to nearly 50 per cent of revenues. Smartphones and flat screen TVs were the second and third largest categories respectively,” he added.

“This year’s Gitex Shopper edition was a huge success for LG Electronics especially for our mobile communication and home entertainment divisions,” added D.Y. Kim, President of LG Electronics Gulf.

“Year-on-year, Gitex Shopper continues to be instrumental for Nokia and its partners’ business,” said Vithesh Reddy, General Manager, Nokia Lower Gulf. “The exclusive UAE debut of the much-awaited Nokia Lumia 1020 at Gitex Shopper was the ideal platform for Nokia to showcase the device to imaging enthusiasts. The show was fantastic from an organization and traffic perspective as it helped us achieve outstanding results and meet our objectives for the launch,” he said.

“We have reported stronger performance at the recent Gitex Shopper with sales increasing by 25 per cent compared to the show last year,” said Neelesh Bhatnagar, CEO of Emax. “The increase was primarily due to the sale of smartphones, tablets and laptops. Together, these three categories were responsible for more than 50 per cent of the sales growth,” he said.

“Technology is rapidly evolving, and platforms such as Gitex Shopper play a vital role to keep customers updated with the latest in technology. We thank Dubai for creating this unique opportunity for retailers and customers to come together and celebrate technology,” Bhatnagar added.

“Gitex Shopper proved yet again that it was the perfect platform to showcase our latest technologies to our customers,” said Marco Vocale, Head of Corporate Marketing at Samsung Gulf Electronics.

“Samsung has been a loyal supporter of Gitex Shopper for many years, and we continue to recognize its influence as the most anticipated consumer electronics shows in the region and how it has become synonymous with exciting product announcements and amazing bundle offers,” he added.

Recognising the importance of the key regional platform, power retailers and the world’s leading brands have already confirmed their participation at GITEX Shopper Spring 2014 in April at the Dubai World Trade Centre. “We look forward to formulating our plans for Gitex Shopper Spring 2014,” said Vocale.

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