Philips pressing ahead with expansion into Bangladesh

Mohammad Ali | Published: July 28, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: July 27, 2015 21:56:28

Dutch electronics giant Philips said it will expand its business into Bangladesh by launching new products focused on personal health.
The new product portfolio of the Bangladesh arm of Philips, a subsidiary of the Netherland-based Royal Philips, include kitchen appliances, grooming, coffee, baby care products and air purifiers.
Sanjay Bapna, chief executive officer of Philips Electronics Bangladesh Pvt. Limited, made the announcement at a press conference held on Monday in the city.
"We see Bangladesh as a promising market for us. We will continue making investment as much as the demand in local market remains strong," Mr Bapna said.
Explaining the current state and future plan of the company's business, the CEO said that it established a strong retail footprint for products and is offering these in more than 1,000 touch-points, including traditional and modern retail, in all major cities.
"We have a plan to increase our footprint to over 10,000 touch-points across top 20 cities in the next few years," Mr Bapna said.
The company had primarily focused on its healthcare business, which offers health solutions focused on diagnosis treatment, recovery and homecare for patients.
"With introduction of the new products focused on consumer health, we will make sure that people are able to lead a good life by monitoring and managing their health, be it the air they breathe, the food they eat or their personal hygiene," he said.
"We have launched around 50-60 items in six separate categories," the PEBL boss said.
He added that the Philips products would address different sections of the society.
The company's local business grew significantly with a healthcare consumer base that tripled in the past three years since it began operation in 2011, officials said.
Royal Philips is a leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as male shaving and grooming and oral healthcare.
He also said that PEBL now enjoys a leadership position in the healthcare industry, with all leading healthcare institutions like Apollo, Greenlife, Popular Group, CMH Dhaka, Kurmitola Hospital and Dhaka Medical College as its customers.
Mr Bapna said the company considers the corporate social responsibility (CSR) as an integral part of its business.
M.A. Mannan, chairman and managing director of Butterfly Marketing Ltd, one of the major distributors of Philips, said, "The new range of Philips products is a proof that the company understands what the local people need in order to lead a healthier life."
Mustafizur Rahman Shazid, sales and marketing director of Butterfly Marketing Ltd, also spoke at the press conference.
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