Since 1977, OHI Electronics has been in the forefront of a vibrant and thriving electronics business in Oman. It has cashed in on the boom by bagging dealerships for a large number of reputed brands like JVC, Nikai, Bose, NEC and OSIM products in Oman. The electronics division has grown over the years and expanded to include offices all over the Sultanate of Oman, its success riding on the high quality of service provided to customers.

Devan Thuppali General Manager of OHI Electronics spoke to Vistas on the new trends in retailing.

Excerpts:

Please provide us an overview of retailing in the context of your company. What are the brands/goods you retail? What is your retailing strategy? 

We are the exclusive distributors of High End Audio Visual and Lifestyle products and represent BOSE, JVC, NEC and OSIM products in Oman. We have just recently launched a new brand of stores which will showcase multiple products and brands under the name of Connexions in Al Qurm and soon we will have similar showrooms in Ruwi and Sohar to start with.

We have set a trend of advertising 365 days with 5cm×8cm strip adverts in all the leading Arabic and English newspapers for the last 3 years and today almost all the other leading brands have followed suit. These adverts are to constantly build brand awareness and also educate clients of offers and special deals and new technologies in the field of Electronics and Home Entertainment and most importantly to bring in foot fall into our showrooms.

Where does Oman stand today in retailing? How big is retailing in Oman in your experience?

OHI Electronics has set a trend in designing some of the classiest retailing showrooms in Audio Visual and Home Entertainment. In 2007 we opened an exclusive Bose Store at the Jawarat A’ Shatti and last month the  new Connexions Showroom which showcases JVC, BOSE, OSIM and NEC range of products in a very stylishly elegant showroom, which is tastefully designed and sets a new standard in the market for Retailing Concept. With the onset of Hypermarkets and large Shopping Malls, there is a new trend emerging in retailing and customer expectation and experience in Oman and that’s exactly what our Retail Showrooms are targeting to achieve.

What do you think needs to be done to make the industry more competitive? How many big players can the market support?

With the boom in economy, there is a tremendous opportunity as more and more people are coming to settle in Oman to support this boom in Industry and economy. With this, the markets are also opening up and which will result in the arrival of more international players in this market, and that obviously will create a very healthy and competitive environment, and the customer stands to benefit in the end.
Is the availability of trained manpower an issue?

Yes, a serious issue, however, we have been successful in identifying and recruiting local talent and providing them the required training.

What about retail-related activities such as, retail supply logistics, warehousing, sourcing and merchandizing management that  are seen as absolutely essential if the front-end retail business is to take off on a meaningful scale across the country?

We have had no issues in this regard as we have a pretty effective logistics and supply chain infrastructure. We are, however, very soon planning to have this aspect handled by our Logistics Company within our group.

Any other thing you would like to mention about retailing, specifically related to the kind of products/brands you retail?

We have recently launched a new lifestyle brand called OSIM and a very aggressive campaign for the launch of their new Massage Chair called “Uzap” which has recently won and award for International Design is on the cards. A team of Sales and technical staff are being sent for a week to OSIM HQ in Singapore to learn the art of demonstrating their amazing products and most importantly on also the technical aspects of the product and after sales service and installation procedures. We sincerely believe that our team on the retail floor must be fully trained and should have absolutely complete product knowledge to be able to give the customer the right information and experience.