Allview, based in Brasov, central Romania, saw its revenue surge from EUR2 million in 2011 to EUR15 million in the first nine months of 2013.
“We signed partnerships with Vodafone and RCS&RDS in the fourth quarter of last year to complement the deals with Cosmote and Orange so we now have contracts signed with all the players on the market. We will develop these partnerships this year,” Alin Niscov, Allview sales manager, told ZF.
The Romanian company also supplies tablets to Cosmote, which sells them under its own brand.
Orange, Vodafone, Cosmote and RCS&RDS sell about 75% of the cell phones in Romania, which gives them the power to persuade consumers to buy various brands, according to Dan Stefanescu, the general manager and owner of the largest cell phone wholesaler in the country, Gersim.
“Operators distort the cell phone market with the subsidies for certain products, pushing customers towards certain brands,” Gersim owner said.
Tablet sales will reach 800,000 to 900,000 units in Romania this year, Niscov added. “January was a very good month for sales,” he said without elaborating further.
Computer and electronics retail chains generated most of the tablet sales last year. “The free market was the main sales channel for products in 2013,” the executive said.
The local tablet market estimated at 600,000 units in 2013 is dominated by Apple and Samsung on the high-end segment, while more than 50% of the units sold come from local companies like Allview, E-Boda, Evolio, Itab, Serioux, Smailo and Utok.
Allview sold 110,000 tablets last year, so its market share reached 20%. “We are waiting for the final figures from the market research company GfK,” Niscov said.
Allview also sold 15,000 tablets abroad.
Its share of the local smartphone market now stands at about 9% or 10%, its official said.
Tablets and smartphones generate the highest sales for Allview, Niscov added, so the company will focus on launching new products in the two categories.
Visual Fan posted EUR7.7 million revenue in 2012, almost four times the 2011 revenue, EUR2.1 million. In January-September 2013, the company’s revenue stood at EUR15 million, while net profit amounted to EUR1.8 million.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)