Release Date: 29th March 2010

Enhancing customer services, innovative store designs and new outlets in different Emirates proved to be successful 2009 platforms for Jacky’s Electronics, the UAE’s number one multi-brand consumer electronics retailer, which cemented its win as the Retail Company of the Year by ITP’s Channel Middle East Awards 2010.

This was the second time Jacky’s Electronics has been recognised for its excellence in the field of IT retailing. The award was aimed at technology retailers across the Middle East who made their mark through customer innovation, product range, in-store initiatives, brand development or any other achievements deserved of recognition in the highly competitive retail sector.

“Last year has been extremely challenging for retailers in Dubai and this award from Channel Middle East was especially gratifying as we’ve had to do a lot as a retailer to adapt ourselves to changing times. Our strategy of shifting a lot of our focus to providing additional value to consumers proved to be successful. We also had to change a lot of our store formats and locations in 2009 and 2010 to serve our customers better,” said Ashish Panjabi, Chief Operating Officer, Jacky’s Group of Companies.

“We completely renovated our outlets in Mall of the Emirates, where we moved to the Metrolink area, Deira City Centre and Nasr Square. We have also modified our product layouts and store designs in Ibn Batutta and have opened new outlets in Al Ain’s Bawadi Mall and Ajman City Centre, signalling our move to be closer to our customers,” he added.

Now in its third year, the 2010 Channel Middle East Awards has been paying tribute to the outstanding achievements of individuals and companies in the regional channel community that have made their mark in the IT channel during the past year.

“Jacky’s Electronics has always kept customer service at the heart of its strategy and this was reflected in many of the actions it took last year, including the enhancement of its own warranty programme and the refurbishment of key stores to create more space for visitors to interact with technology,” said Andrew Seymour, Editor of Channel Middle East magazine.

Moreover, the company has experienced growth in various key segments in terms of volumes in categories such as LCD TVs and smartphones. Triple-digit increase in smartphones has been recorded last year and this trend will continue in the first few months of 2010. The sales mix of netbooks to notebooks increased, with a 40% increase in demand for this product category during the past year along with achieving 14% of increase in sales during Gitex Shoppers.

Last year, Jacky’s placed a greater emphasis on customer service having completed the ISO 9001:2008 certification, with regular audits on service measures being carried out. This year, the company is investing more on staff training from internal resources, external parties, vendors, shopping malls or government bodies. Jacky’s is already in talks with local government authorities who have launched a consumer protection programme, to ensure compliance with their standards of service.

About Jacky’s Group of Companies:

Jacky’s Electronics opened its first retail showroom in Deira, Dubai in 1988. Since then it has grown steadily and today has 12 outlets across the UAE.

During March 2009, Sharjah City Centre gave the ‘Best Electronics and Telephone Accessories Store’ award to Jacky’s Express, whilst for the second year running it has been voted ‘Best Electronics and Entertainment Store’ by the Mall of the Emirates. Additionally, Jacky’s Electronics was recognised for its ‘Outstanding Performance in 2008’ by Sony Vaio in February 2009.

In March 2008, Jacky’s Electronics was given the ‘Best Retail Company of the Year Award’ in the region’s first IT Channel Middle East Awards. During the same year, Jacky’s scooped the ‘Best Electronics and Entertainment Store’ award for Jacky’s Express at the Mall of the Emirates Retailers’ Annual General Meeting. Jacky’s Electronics also received the ‘Best Electronics and Entertainment Store’ award from the Deira City Centre Annual Retailers.

In June 2007, Jacky’s was recognised as the ‘Best Service Performance Outlet’ in the electronics category by the Dubai Service Excellence Scheme instituted by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is also a member of the Dubai Quality Group. Jacky’s is the only electronics company to be awarded ‘Superbrand’ status four times in a row by the UAE Superbrand Council.

For further PR information: Rose Manaog, Action UAE, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +97143902960; Fax: +9714 8161; Email: rose.m@actionprgroup.com. For further retail information: Jacky’s Retail Office Tel: +971-4-2236-344; Fax: +971-4-2821-474; Email:retail@jackys.com