The Gitex Shopper has confirmed its position as the consumer electronics event of the year and delivered its strongest performance with retailers across the board reporting a big jump in sales figures, said the organisers.

Millions of dirhams worth of gadgets and electronics were sold over the eight-day shopping event, with laptops, tablets, digital cameras, smart phones, and LED’s/LCD’s among the best performing categories, the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) said in a statement.

The power retailers and world-class brands who took part in the show reported total sales in excess of Dh193 million ($52.5 million). The visitor numbers also swelled to 169,018, it added.

The much anticipated Gitex Shopper saw tens of thousands of satisfied customers walk away with some of the latest gadgets at fantastic show prices, plus numerous giveaways from the bundled offers that the event is renowned for, the DWTC said.

With more than 160 retailers and brands and over 25,000 different products available, Gitex Shopper offered a world of choice for visitors in 2011.

'Gitex Shopper continues to grow year after year and the 21st edition of the show was no exception,' remarked Trixee Loh, senior vice president, DWTC.

'With record visitor and sales numbers in 2011, Gitex Shopper proved once again that it plays a significant role in boosting retail sales in the UAE. This is why year on year top power retailers increase their space at the show and why we continue to attract new brands every year,' he noted.
 
Commenting on the show, Avinash Shanbhogue, head of Marketing, Retail Division at Jumbo Electronics said, “We witnessed record foot-fall and double digit growth at Gitex Shopper, outperforming last year’s results. We saw a phenomenal response to our IT products such as laptops and tablets, which accounted for approximately 60 per cent of sales during the event.'

Neelesh Bhatnagar, CEO of Emax said, 'It remains a staple event in our retail activity calendar. From a local marketing perspective, it is a must for every electronics retailer to participate. This year has again proven to be successful, with all targets achieved.'

Nilesh Khalkho, CEO of Sharaf DG said, “It has again provided a great platform for Sharaf DG to showcase our exclusive and incredible deals. We have received an overwhelming response to our ‘Shop All you can -10 million assured Gifts’ campaign and a well as the 12 month easy payment plan for all shoppers.'

Ashish Panjabi, COO of  Jacky’s Electronics said, 'Gitex Shopper has been very positive for Jacky’s. Footfall is up and our results are strong – we believe that we have improved our sales results over last year.'

'It has become even more important and more popular given the increasingly short life-cycle of products,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service