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29 March 2024

NRI alert: Flat-screen TV delivered in India at UAE prices… duty-free

Published
By VM Sathish

In order to circumvent the 36 per cent duty imposed on the import of flat screen TVs to India, a leading Indian consumer electronics and home appliance company has introduced an innovative scheme in Dubai.

Visitors to Gitex Shopper can buy an LED TV at the UAE price and get it delivered to their homes in India. Videocon, a leading manufacturer and distributor of home appliances, is kicking off its UAE/Middle East operations with the opening of an online store.

The company’s ad campaign is built around the slogan – ‘Buy Here, Smile There’ -  and allows expatriates in the UAE to buy TVs here, but have them delivered in India without paying the new customs duty imposed by the Indian Government - effective August 2013.

“Our most attractive offer is the 32-inch LED TV for Dh 799,” said a Videocon official in the UAE. A 50-inch LED TV from Videocon is on offer at Gitex  for Dh2,599.

Videocon is a $5 billion dollar Indian company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

And meet Shah Rukh Khan

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Sandipum Basu, Manager, Dubai Operations, said: "This is the first time the Videocon group is entering the UAE market with an online sales platform, with a long-term intension to get rid of middle men and distributors.

“The launch in the UAE has begun with a campaign involving the Videocon group brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan.  “Special promotions offer customers a chance to win a fully paid trip to India to meet Shah Rukh Khan," Basu said.

“This campaign is currently targeted at the non-resident Indian community, but we plan to extend the scheme to expatriates from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries where the brand is popular," he added.

The local sales, distribution and after-sales will be through the website Videocon.ae and products will be delivered in the UAE within seven days.

"We have tied up with Technocare to provide after-sales services," he said.