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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ELITE MOBILE, THANKS TO AJAY GOKANI, ITS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Where?
Wembley Stadium Industrial Estate, First Way, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 0TU. Tel: 020 8799 8000; Fax: 020 8799 8050; Sales tel: 01782 645600; Sales fax: 01782 646600
What are the key areas your business concentrates on distributing?
Pre-pay and SIM-free handsets from leading manufacturers, OEM and own-brand accessories, sat nav, mobile broadband devices, music products and in-car product ranges.
What is your company’s USP?
It’s a combination answer; we take pride in our flexibility, so that we are able
to tailor packages to meet customers’ individual requirements, with a fast delivery, first class backup and continually expanding, carefully researched and tested handset and OEM, third party and own brand accessories ranges.
Where are you investing in or expanding your portfolio?
We devote a great deal of our energy to anticipating market trends and ensuring we remain ahead of the game. For example, as technologies continue to converge and new ones develop, we work closely with our suppliers to bring to market innovative, high quality, good value products to support those changes, including products exclusively distributed by Elite Mobile that are at least the equal of those from leading brands. It’s a priority that when it comes to new developments, Elite Mobile customers are never in danger of missing the boat.
What is at the top of your company’s agenda for the next 12 months?
Integrating technologies will increasingly be key over the coming year and beyond. We’re working closely with a number of suppliers and we’ll be offering our customers many technologically advanced new products, many exclusive to Elite.
What are your top tips for dealers selling your products?
Our dealers tend to be loyal to our products because they trust their quality and value, and our pricing and service; they know we won’t let them down. We don’t believe in generalising about our support programmes; each dealer can get the kind of help he wants from us, tailored to his individual needs, including product roadmaps and training.
What are the hottest accessories out the right now?
Look out for our new iPhone and iPod Touch ranges of protective cases in a variety of colours and textures as they not only protect, they also look fantastic and add genuine value to the handset. Those are sure-fire winners, as is our new Avantalk R2 ‘Sunday’ handsfree car kit that contains some of the best technology and features on the market. The Movon range of car kits, headsets and more, which is exclusive to Elite’s customers, has grown to become one of the most successful accessories ranges in the UK market. If any readers haven’t seen them, I’d strongly advise them to check them out.
Should dealers pay more attention to accessories, and why?
Accessories offer good margins, occupy comparatively little shelf space and in the hands of competent sales staff, are capable of adding significant value to a handset sale.
Today’s accessories ranges, for example in the music and in-car areas, overlap with other types of outlet, but why should the mobile phone store leave the high street big boys to scoop up these often highly lucrative sales?
Do you have a green policy and if so, what’s it about?
We’re highly conscious of our responsibilities and regularly review our green policies. Everything that can be is recycled. We have dedicated machinery on site.
We also aim to keep packaging down to a safe minimum on all new products that we have control over, and we are stringent about care of waste, including being fully compliant with the government’s Waste of Electrical & Electronic Equipment policy.
What are your views on security in the mobile accessories arena?
That’s something to which we’re completely dedicated. For example, a few years ago we installed specially designed automated packaging machinery that heatseals every pack we produce to prevent pilfering. We were ahead of the game when we introduced it and it was, and remains, an unqualified success.
Key personnel:
Ketan Gokani, managing director, oversees and works closely with the heads of departments and has a key role in the development of the business.
Peter Elliott, prepay sales director, heads up all aspects of our prepay business, working with our network partners and leading our prepay sales team.
Marlon Sherlow is head of purchasing and services, responsible for product research and testing, third party and own label accessory purchasing as well as the company’s green policies.
Wayne Langford is head of trading and he looks after the purchasing of SIM-free handsets and OEM accessories.
Anique Grimbly, head of marketing, plans and implements the company’s marketing and sales support programmes: “This autumn will see a fantastic range of exciting new products from Elite Mobile. As always, our watchwords are quality, innovation and value, and we’re top of the game in all three!”
Airtime:
Handsets:
Accessories:
Avantronics – BlackBerry – Brodit – Bury – Fonerange – HTC – Motorola – Movon – Nokia – Parrot - Route 66 – Samsung - Sony Ericsson - Licensed ranges including: Disney - Hello Kitty - Me To You