Small mobile phone retailers are afraid the move might hurt their businesses.
According to Thanh Phong, media representative of Mobile World Investment Corporation (The Gioi Di Dong in Vietnamese), the new chain, named 'Super Cheap Phones' ('Dien Thoai Sieu Re' in Vietnamese), is the corporation’s latest experimental business model, Zing reports. Rumors about Mobile World's new affordable phone chain spurred discussions online after a photo showing an under-construction DienThoaiSieure store surfaced on a forum.
“To get the cheap price, the company will omit as many accompanied services as possible or keep attached gifts when customers purchase the phones,” a Mobile World representative told the news source.
Many consider Mobile World’s move a threat to mid-size mobile phone retailers such as CellphoneS, Hnam Mobile, Bach Long Mobile, XT Mobile, Hoang Ha Mobile, Click Buy, etc. Other independent mobile shops might also expect some competition from Super Cheap Phones in the affordable phone segment.
“If the Super Cheap Phones chain succeeds, mid-range retailers like us would suffer,” said Hoang Huu Huynh, director of Hoang Ha Mobile.
It’s still unclear what Mobile World's future business plan for 'Super Cheap Phones' will be. The corporation currently owns the consumer electronics retail chain Dien May Xanh, food-store chain Bach Hoa Xanh and BigPhone, its mobile device retail chain in Cambodia.
[Photo via Vietnambiz]
