VietNamNet Bridge – Although a number of foreign companies have made a foray into the local electronics retail market, there are still room for domestic firms to open and operate their own supermarkets, according to industry insiders.

A customer inspects televisions at an electronics store in HCMC in this file photo. According to experts, the local electronics retail market still has room for domestic firms

Nguyen Duc Tai, chairman of The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World) Investment Joint Stock Company, said the electronic devices and appliances retail market still have much room for local enterprises and they can compete on par with foreign rivals.

Experts said as local electronics giants such as Nguyen Kim, Dien May Cho Lon, Thien Hoa have opened their supermarkets mainly in cities, shops in other provinces still fare well because local customers prefer buying stuff at the shops near their homes.

The owners of big electronics brands in cities such as Hanoi, HCMC, Danang, Can Tho have not branched out to rural areas and customers have to place orders online. Therefore, local firms still have great chances of expanding their operations in the electronics retail market.

Electronics supermarket chains like Dienmay.com and HC are opening new supermarkets in different parts of the nation.

The Gioi Di Dong Investment Joint Stock Company, which holds 30% mobile phone retail market share, plans to increase the number of Dienmay.com stores from 20 late last year to 45-50 by the end of this year as part of its business expansion plan. Most of the new facilities will be in southern and central regions.

Thien Hoa is moving ahead with shopping malls along with electronics stores to diversify products for customers. It opened such a shopping mall on an area of 10,000 square meters in HCMC’s District 10 late last year.

Several firms have also mulled plans to open electronics sections inside shopping malls to cut costs on space rents.

SGT