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Gulbir Bhatia of Mumbai-based Prime ABGB has created a niche for himself by dealing in products for which he can command a premium. His ability to create the customer base for high-end products has helped him ensure strong bottomlines for the company.
It’s easy to find partners who are passionate about business and money, and so are in IT trade. But there aren’t many who are in the channel business because they are passionate about the very products they sell.
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Gulbir Bhatia
Want to improve awareness levels among end-customers as to how quality products can give better returns |
Gulbir Bhatia of Mumbai-based Prime ABGB is one of those few partners who got into IT reselling not just to make money but largely because he was always smitten by top-of-the-edge technology products. As a result, nine years after he started his venture, Gulbir proudly associates his organization with some of the premium brands, largely selling niche products.
BRINGING THE BEST
Gulbir had hardly finished his graduation that he got into IT reselling by investing Rs 13,000 in memory modules. “I made a profit of Rs 750 on my first investment and was so thrilled about it,” reminisces he. And it was in those days itself that he started dealing in Asus, a brand that was not much known in the country. Since then, Gulbir has always brought a product into his kitty, only if he felt they would appeal to a niche user segment, who are willing to pay a premium for high-quality products.
It’s not that he was never into volume distribution. But the business model couldn’t keep him interested for long. “If I sell products, which hundreds of others are selling, why would a user want to come again and again to me?” asks Gulbir. As a result, Prime ABGB today boasts of some of the premium brands like Asus, Sony, Microsoft hardware, Altec Lansing, Logitech and
Antec.
And because Gulbir has focused on dealing with such a niche brand of products, his revenues have seen a constant 15 to 20% year-on-year growth. In 1994, the company posted Rs 50 lakh in revenue, while last fiscal, the books were closed at Rs 12 crore. “We had a 15% growth in the last FY and further increased our focus on strengthening the bottomlines,” adds
Gulbir.
| PROFILE |
| COMPANY |
Prime ABGB Pvt Ltd |
| START-UP
YEAR |
1994 |
| ADDRESS |
Laxmi Compound, Shop #16, Ground Floor, Opp Naaz Cinema,
390, Lamington Road, Mumbai - 400 004. |
| TEL |
022-23855500, 2389660 |
| FAX |
022-23885500 |
| E-MAIL |
primeservices@vsnl.com |
KEY TO BETTER BOTTOMLINES
Today Prime ABGB maintains a very active retail front from where it caters to its discerning customers. “My cabin serves as a demo room. Every new product that I decide to introduce is first used by me, and only when I feel satisfied with it, do I go ahead,” says Gulbir. He is an avid reader and keeps browsing for newer products and technologies hitting the market.
“Recently, I had evaluated a number of handycams and digicams and will be introducing the same shortly,” informs he.
Gulbir has also tied up with around 10 retail partners to give further exposure to the products that he deals in. For the future, he wants to increase the breadth of high-end solutions, which he believes will further improve Prime ABGB’s bottomlines. “We also want to increase awareness levels among end-customers as to how quality products, though a bit expensive, can give better returns,” says he.
GOLDIE
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