Advice undertakes major expansion, targets 25 per cent growth this year

The company plans to expand its Advice retail shops from 351 to 400 nationwide this year.
It is also investing Bt210 million to improve its internal operations and to spend on marketing activities throughout the year.
Nath Natnithikarat, chief executive of Advice Holdings Group, said the targeted revenue growth would come from the retail expansion as well as product, service and partner expansions. The product expansion includes smartphone.
The company aims to increase its smartphone market share, excluding devices sold through operators and corporate accounts, from 1 per cent to 4 per cent.

Smartphones
Nath said smartphones were the highest growth product in the retail shops. In 2014, 12.8 million smartphones were sold via the shops – a figure expected to rise to 15.2 million this year.
Nath said that this year the company would increase the number of smartphones and computers it sold, while adding more mid- to high-end smartphones and computers to its line-up.
It would also set up five service centres nationwide.
Nath said Advice would invest Bt150 million to increase its business capability, including increasing its inventory, logistics and warehouse management system.
It planned to spend Bt60 million on marketing to promote its shops.
“We will spend Bt30 million for niche marketing and Bt30 million for mass marketing. We will have marketing activities throughout the country throughout the year,” Nath said.
He said Advice had around 6,000 smartphone, computer IT and accessory products.