French telecommunications giant Orange will open its first physical store this Friday, in Claremont in Cape Town.
The decision is based on the strong reception of the company’s online store, it said in a statement.
“The opening of a physical store is a logical step for us,” said Orange Horizons CEO Sébastien Crozier.
“The response to the Orange Online Store by South African consumers exceeded all our expectations, which led to a local warehouse being established to service this market. We therefore have sufficient stock levels to justify the opening of our first retail store in the country.”
The store will offer consumers a range of gadgets and accessories and will also provide “click and collect” facilities, act as a drop-off point for repairs and returns, act as a point of sale for Orange’s top-up mobile products and provide customer service for the company’s travel products.
The store will be operated on a franchise basis by franchisee Greg Dunbar, who says the store will provide a physical point of contact for customers, making them feel “more comfortable when using the Orange online store and purchasing from Orange in general”.
Crozier said that in future, the store will act as a point of service for Orange’s Internet service provider, which it plans to launch in South Africa in 2015.
“Orange plans to open additional stores in the future, in key provinces and geographical areas,” Crozier said.
Previously, Orange had operated in-store services through selected Nashua Mobile outlets. These stores were closed when Nashua Mobile parent Reunert decided to sell the subscriber base and shut down the business. — © 2015 NewsCentral Media