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Trade News Apple Accessories Under one Roof Sellers meet buyers at one-day mini-market THE DEAL MAKERS Understanding the specifics of the Nigerian market Monday was MacLAND-day at IFA 2012. The one-day event brings vendors from all over the world, together with buyers looking for the latest on Apple accessories. “It's one day when buyers have the opportunity to see the best, high-class Apple accessories available,” said MacLAND sales director Chris Heth. “We had 17 vendors this year, and they fly in from all over the world, just for one day.” Christin Muller, Vice-head of purchasing for German Apple reseller, Gravis, said Christin Muller of Gravis the event offered her the opportunity to meet a good representation of vendors all under one roof. “It’s good to be able to meet them all face-to-face”, Muller said. Among the products on show was the VooMote Zapper, which turns an iPad or iPhone into a universal remote control and TV guide. The S Dock, from Smart Things, is a wall mount for the iPad 2 or 3. Attach the S Dock to the wall and it will hold the iPad securely, enabling hands-free usage for domestic or business use. It can rotate so the iPad can be in portrait or landscape format, and if attached to a power supply, and can charge the iPad while it is docked. When the iPad is in use elsewhere, the S Dock becomes an attractive picture or photo frame. Hospitals and clinics represent a growing market for the S Dock as iPads are increasingly used to hold patient information. Manitoba Industries Abraham Asapokhai Abraham Asapokhai, a buyer from Nigerian retailer Manitoba Industries, is at IFA for the first time, and he likes what he sees. How would you characterise the Nigerian market? Recently President Obama described Nigeria as being the most viable market in Africa. And we are certainly the biggest economy there, with a total of 160 million inhabitants; and Lagos now a city of 10 million people. Those figures sound great but you have to bear in mind that 90% of the population are on relatively low incomes, consequently we always try to offer real quality, but at the lowest possible price. MacLAND’s Chris Heth What are the main product trends in Nigeria at the moment? Small devices like the X-Mini mp3 speaker/player series are doing very well. So far we have sold 50,000 units, and now there is a halo effect in that what sells well in Nigeria then starts to get popular in surrounding countries. Alongside speakers, we are also starting to see tablets becoming popular, especially the low-cost models, as well as smartphones. And we are starting to see real interest in wireless speakers for the high-end market. In terms of brands, Samsung and Panasonic are currently very strong, and Sony is starting to really come back. Have you made appointments? No, mainly because I think it’s important to retain a bit of flexibility and spontaneity as I am just finding my way around here, but next year I will definitely arrive with a planned schedule. I will be going to a few seminars, looking at home theatre units – another high-end trend in Nigeria – and generally I’ll be looking for anything innovative, especially in terms of small devices. I think it’s interesting for manufacturers to know that Nigeria produces less than 10% of what it uses in CE and IT, so there is real potential there. www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Wednesday 5 th September 2012 39
