Apple to Announce a Major Deal in Vietnam for iPhone Distribution with FTP Later this Month
Earlier this week reported on Apple wanting to compete with Samsung in Iran by working with so-called premium resellers as they do in certain countries like South Korea. Today we've learned that Apple is going to make a major announcement in two weeks about a major distribution deal with one of Vietnam's leading conglomerates for iPhone 6 distribution.
According to a Vietnamese source, Apple is poised to host an event to inform local media of its official entry into Vietnam on November 14. The retail unit of FPT, a leading Vietnamese telecom company, has been chosen to be the sole official distributor of the iPhone in Vietnam.
FPT Retail currently operates the FPT Shop and F.Studio by FPT chains, with more than 70 countrywide stores as of July 2013, according to its website. Other retailers in Vietnam will have to source from FPT Retail if they want to sell iPhones.
The FPT Group is a multinational information technology company of Vietnam with branches in 14 countries. It is one of Vietnam's leading conglomerates, based in Hà Nội and has branches in Ho Chi Minh and Da Nang.
Sales of iPhones in Vietnam soared 262 percent in Apple's fiscal first half ending on March 29, according to Bloomberg, which quoted CEO Tim Cook during a conference call with analysts on April 23.
Apple products are popular in Vietnam, and the smartphone sales in the country are predicted to increase 56 percent to about 12 million units in 2014, Bloomberg quoted Lam Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City-based country director at International Data Corp, as saying.
It was also reported on that Viettel and Vinaphone have said they will officially sell the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus starting November 14.
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