Sharp focus on greener future

(MENAFN- Arab News)  ALJ Electronics, which is offering a chance to win gifts worth SR 1 million in its current campaign, will follow it up with its Ramadan campaign - Everybody is a Winner. These promotions show that "we at ALJ (Abdul Latif Jameel) have exciting offers for our customers," according to Hisham Hamza, chief executive officer of Abdul Latif Jameel Electronics & Air conditioning Co. Ltd. "During Ramadan, we are adding value to our offering by bundling free gifts on purchases. Further, from our showrooms, we are offering finance for our customers with payment term up to three years. This is something very unique to ALJ as no other brand in the Kingdom has the facility to finance the purchase of any consumer electronics or appliance products with the three-year payment term," Hamza told Arab News in an exclusive interview. Referring to Sharp's sponsorship policy in the Kingdom, Hamza said: "As a group ALJ sponsors various activities throughout the year. For example, we sponsor annual events for Toastmasters and iftar parties during Ramadan, thus having a close association with all our customers. Sharp is an integral part of all these sponsorships and events, which we conduct through the year." Listing ALJ's client portfolio, Hamza said the ALJ group was diversified into automobiles, real estate, advertising, consumer electronics, etc. The company which is the exclusive distributor for Sharp is "Abdul Latif Jameel Electronics & Air Conditioning Ltd." (ALJEAC). ALJEAC has a balanced portfolio of products, for example televisions, home appliances, air conditioners, audio systems, IT, office automation, mobiles, etc. "We at ALJ pride ourselves in being able to cater to all demographic ends of the Kingdom with products and services to match the needs of people from all walks of life." Referring to the recent launch of the 90-inch AQUOS LED Sharp TV in the Saudi market, Manu Mahdi, general manager, consumer electronics division, Sharp ME FZE, said: "The response has been excellent as expected given the success we have seen over the past year with Sharp's big sized LED TVs. "At this point we would like to bring to your notice that Sharp is the leader for large size LED TVs starting from 60" size, with more than 50 percent market share. The 90-inch TV has added one more feather in our crown of success by extending our offering to customers with a lineup of TVs that no other brand can match in size or price. Giving details of Sharp's after-sales service in Saudi Arabia, Mahdi said in its capacity as the authorized distributor for Sharp, "ALJ takes after-sales and customer satisfaction very seriously." Mahdi added that Sharp has been able to win back customer loyalty by continuing to innovate in every field, be it home appliances, office equipment or TVs. With a strong innovative spine holding us up and strong against the competition, we have the skill and experience in coming up with bigger and better products for all portions of the market. "The launch of the world's largest 90-inch LED TV goes to prove that with our 10th generation panel technology, we are still the leader in this segment. We are confident that in the coming days we will be able to keep up the trend and also keep the competition on its toes with our continued innovations," he said. About competition between Sharp TVs and other brands in Saudi Arabia, Mahdi said: "Sharp has always been the leader in TV technology in Japan, and in recent years we have gained brand momentum in the Kingdom as well through our market leading range of big size TVs. At this point you will also appreciate the fact that Sharp was the inventor of LCD TV Technology, which is what modern day LCD/LED TVs are made of." Further to that, Sharp is leading the development of TVs "with its 10th Generation Panel Technology while our competitors are still at 8th Generation or 6th Generation Panel Technology. Hence we are able to offer far superior quality products in terms of size, color tones, picture response time, etc., at a price that no brand can manufacture, especially in large size LED TVs," he added. Speaking about Sharp's green technology strategy, Mahdi said: "Our focus has always been on efficiency and environmental friendliness. This is not a new thinking. Instead, the founder of Sharp, Mr. Hayakawa, built the company on the philosophy of green technologies that save resources and enhance productivity. This helped Sharp innovate simple technologies such as the mechanical ever-sharp pencil nearly 100 years ago or Solar Panel technology nearly 50 years ago. Our current lineup of products, including TVs and home appliances are built to make as much a greener and environmentally friendly future as possible. Our focus, as always, remains on Energy Creating products and Energy Saving products."