The firm is set to introduce its televisions in Kenya seeking a 15 percent share in the market which it terms as “ripe for its products.”
The firm has partnered with Reshman International who will be the main distributors of the Hisense television brand with plans to introduce other products that include home appliances and mobile phones in the near future.
“We are planning to open up a manufacturing plant in the next five years that will be the hub of the East African region. We already have shops in Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia… the plant will service the region,” said Hisense Global Director Strong Zhang.
Strong says Kenya is a very promising market, with a stable society as well as stable micro-economics and a growing middle class economy.
“We know that the country is moving migrating from analogue to digital television. We want to position ourselves in readiness for that; we are excited about the market even as the country has just turned into a middle lower income economy,” he said.
The company has four major production facilitates in South Africa, Algeria and Egypt.
According to a quarter one 2014 report from American market research firm Display Search, the company became the fourth world largest shipper of televisions.
Hisense’s shipments represent 6.4 percent of the world’s total, ranking it fourth on the list. Hisence took the lead in China’s market with a shipment share of 18.5 percent.
In South Africa Hisence TVs already hold 10 percent of the market share.
Kenyan television market already has big brands settled in among them Samsung being the market leader at 40 percent, Sony at 35 percent and LG at 15 percent.