The headquarters and New Kingston store of Claro Jamaica is a splashy red. - - Photos by Norman Grindley/Acting Photography Editor
TWO OF Jamaica's largest telecommunications companies have rebranded, one to take advantage of a name that is a giant mobile phone provider in this hemisphere, the other to distance itself from its history in search of a new beginning.
The third, and by far the most dominant by market share, which triples the size of its two main rivals when their numbers are combined, remains with its brand but is giving its stores and dealerships a brand new look as the business rivalry heats up.
Digicel Jamaica is spending US$10 million (approximately J$760 million at current conversion rates) on its own stores, as well as its dealers, which the company now refers to as 'DigiCentres'.
Enhancing the experience
The company has 180 outlets islandwide, 177 of which are on the renovation programme. Nineteen of the stores are branded as 'DigiCentres', including three that are new additions to the network.
"The aim of the upgrade is to enhance the Digicel experience for our customers, to promote and display our extra value products and services and to provide and even better and more productive environment for our sales profes-sionals to work in," Antonia Graham, head of public relations in the Digicel Group told Wednesday Business.
But while Digicel has chosen to keep its project at the cosmetic level, the one-time monopoly phone provider, Cable and Wireless - whose poor customer focus overtime had began to hurt its bottomline - has unveiled a brand new identity.
Cutting-edge technology
C&W, in search of total transformation under a new name, and new colours, on Friday revealed its new name LIME Caribbean.
The company is investing US$400 million in its Caribbean-wide makeover, Jamaica included, which involves more cutting-edge technology deployed on a 3G platform, new services, including wireless broadband for consumers, unconfirmed plans to enter the subscriber television market, and more competitively priced services.
LIME has already placed on the market a new 'AllTalk' plan that standardises calling rates across its Caribbean network, at $3,650 per month post or prepaid - part of the programme to position the company as a pan-Caribbean operation instead of the inde-pendent country units that exist in 13 markets.
Growing fast
LIME's market entry follows that of Claro Jamaica, formerly MiPhone.
By rebranding MiPhone as Claro, owner American Mobile hopes to immediately draw attention to the fact that it is part of Latin America's largest mobile telephone company, with 100 million subscribers across the hemisphere.
Claro Jamaica has approximately 220,000 to 250,000 cellular customers; LIME Jamaica has about 660,000; while Digicel Jamaica has 1.9 million.
Digicel's transformation is meant to safeguard its mobile market share against an aggressive push from LIME and Claro in particular.
The US$10 million renovation bill is "carried entirely by Digicel," said Graham. Work currently under way on the Anbell owned dealer-ship on Knutsford Boulevard in New Kingston - across the road from Claro's newly unveiled headquarters - is fully financed by Digicel, she said.
Anbell's general manager Sandra Reid said the project will allow more room for display of products and allow for easier customer browsing.
"The store will have a new look, particularly on the exterior," said Reid.
Graham said the 'DigiCentre' project includes three new stores at new sites, boosting the complement to the current 80.
But the US$10 million has also established three new 'DigiCentre' stores.
The new Anbell store is to be unveiled fully by December, the high season for shopping.
business@gleanerjm.com
Digicel store on Kuntsford Boulevard, in New Kingston, under renovation. The business is owned by exclusive dealer Anbell, but the project is financed by Digicel under a US$10 million programme.
