Intel on the hunt to catch some local retail outlets

The company last week inked its second cooperation agreement with Nguyen Kim Joint Stock Commercial Company, a leading Vietnamese retailer of home appliances.

“The agreement affirms bilateral strategic cooperation in building and developing retail outlets for Intel Vietnam’s computer products with Nguyen Kim,” said Intel Vietnam’s public relations manager Vu Kieu Linh.

This agreement followed the first one clinched by the two sides in November, 2008. The new agreement will last until 2015.

Under the new agreement, Nguyen Kim and Intel Vietnam were committed to supplying basic information technology knowledge to the public.

Nguyen Kim will support Intel Vietnam to display and sell its products and technology at its stores nationwide. In return, the US firm will organise training programmes for the Vietnamese firm’s employees and support its after-sale services.

Linh told VIR said Intel Vietnam did not seek local equipment suppliers in the country, but “will continue seeking more local retailers to sell its products in Vietnam. At present, it is cooperating with many major computer-related retailers like Dang Khoa, Tran Anh and Nguyen Kim.

She said cooperating with local retailers “has been Intel Vietnam’s big set strategy that can make it carve a firm niche in the country’s market.”

Intel Vietnam’s corporate affairs manager Ho Uyen said the company never cooperated with partners involved in bribery.

“If we find any of our partners with these actions, we will remove contracts from them immediately,” she said.

According to Intel Vietnam, when its existing chipset facility in Ho Chi Minh City is fully operating, it would need over 4,000 skilled workers, instead of the existing 1,000. This means that many more local computer products retail outlets would have opportunities to cooperate with Intel Vietnam.

The 46,000-square-metre facility, which began operations in October last year, is a state-of-the-art assembly and test manufacturing site, which will produce the latest technology microprocessors and chipsets for Intel’s global supply chain.

“Intel invests in Vietnam because the country promises a good future for it. Moreover, Vietnam’s labour force quality has all the more been improved, while the Vietnamese government has been giving best conditions to Intel in applying its investment strategy in the country,” Uyen said.