CD-R King banks on green tech to improve market reach

CEBU, Philippines - The heightened awareness and growing interest of the market to embrace the usage of green technology or power efficient gadgets have prompted media and technology provider CD-R King to expand its green product choices, as well its physical reach across the Philippines.

In an interview with CD-R King area manager for Cebu John Antig, he said the company noted a big leap of interest from the market demanding for power efficient gadgets, such as affordable solar panels, solar lamps and flashlights, solar cellphone chargers, manually-powered flashlights and powerbanks. The latest is its introduction of e-bike or rechargeable motorbikes.

According to Antig, although the awareness of using environment-friendly gadgets has been growing in the past couple of years, a surprising increase of interest has been noticed by the chain immediately after the two calamities that hit the Visayas in the later part of 2013.

In the Visayas area alone, the company posted at least 100 percent growth in green-related products disposal, while prices of these products have also been dropping lately.

In the past, consumers had the impression that green technology products are expensive. However, Antig said the intense global campaign on green revolution and the fast growing interest of the market have also pushed makers to manufacture power efficient gadgets making them affordable to the mainstream market.

About 10 to 20 percent of the chain’s total product inventories are in the green-related functions. This is expected to expand in the next few months, as availability of more affordable environment-friendly products will be made available in the market.

“We would like to provide the market with more alternative and affordable products,” he said, reiterating that energy-efficient gadgets are no longer expensive as before, but prices of quality green products are now becoming more affordable.

At present, CD-R King, the country’s largest retail chain providing media and technology products, has over 300 outlets nationwide.

In Cebu, there are a total of 25 CD-R King outlets. This March, the company will expand  in Elizabeth Mall through a 300-square-meter store in order to properly serve swelling daily customers.

Antig said that this year, the company is also going to expand in the sub-urban areas, or the countryside, including some non-urban areas in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Currently, CDR-King is present in as far as Danao City in the northern part of Cebu and Minglanilla in the south. Its presence is expected to go farther in the province, Antig said.

The chain also has presence in Tuguegarao in Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Nueva Ecija, and Zamboanga, and soon in Boracay in Aklan.

CDR King started as a CD-recordable provider that sells very cheap CD’s in 2001. Now, it has grown to be a big media and technology provider.

Because of the chain’s reputation in providing affordable gadgets, issues on quality Antig said cannot be avoided. However, he said that the company is always on its toes in checking the quality of every product they are going to offer in the Philippine market.

“Quality-wise, choice of products is carefully monitored. We have to do quantity buying [in China] to make our products more affordable to the market,” he said.

From providing merely CDs in 2001, now CD-R King has expanded its inventories even to offering appliances like rice cooker, led TV, led electric bulbs, among others.

Together with its sister-company Kenko, the retail brand chain has become household name in the Philippine mainstream market.   (FREEMAN)