Just six months after opening its doors, Data Storage Distribution
(DSD) has clinched distribution rights for tier-one storage brand Lexar.
Kalvin Subbadu, co-founder and MD of DSD, says the deal is
testament to the success DSD has enjoyed in the local market since it
started trading in March this year.
Under the terms of the Lexar agreement, DSD will distribute Lexar’s
full range of retail and channel products in South Africa and the
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries.
“This is a big deal for us,” Subbadu says. “Lexar is a major brand
and tier-one vendor. For us to get the distribution rights to their lineup
demonstrates their trust in what we are doing in this market and
our strategy going forward.
“Adding Lexar to our portfolio puts us on the same footing as the
traditional distributors.”
Fissal Oubida, Global Marketing Director and Lexar GM: Middle
East, Africa and India, comments: “We see DSD as the perfect fit for
Lexar. They are a distributor that solely focuses on storage products,
which will give us the focus and attention to grow Lexar to the
number one market position in South Africa.
“In addition, the company’s management team has vast experience
in the storage market – both retail and channel – and this will add to
our collective success.”
Lexar has been available in the South African market for some
years but hasn’t enjoyed the same broad-based distribution as
competitive brands. As a consequence, the name is not as well-known
as in the rest of the world, Subbadu says. “Globally, Lexar is
one of the leaders in the storage space; and has a huge presence
around the world.
“Now, we are going to give them the presence, breadth and
the visibility they deserve in the local market as well.”
DSD may have only been operating in the South African market
since March, but it is already making its presence felt.
“Business has been great,” Subbadu says. “We exceeded our six-month
plan within three months. I would never have dreamed we
could do as much as we have done.
“In that time, we have established ourselves in the market and built
trust with our resellers. We have taken huge market share from our
competitors, both in retail and channel and this has enabled us to be
awarded distribution rights from a major Tier 1 Brand like Lexar. We
want to continue on this path and gain more market share.”
The distributor has been working with the HikVision storage
products, targeting the price-sensitive area of the market – and has
grown to be the vendor’s biggest storage distributor.
Now, with the addition of the tier-one Lexar brand, it can address
every part of the market, Subbadu points out.
“We are confident that we will make an impact with Lexar,” he
says. “We will create the visibility, we have the brand, and we have
the availability.”
Although it has focused primarily on the South African market
during its first months in business, DSD has a strategy in place to
address the rest of the SADC countries.
DSD is distributing all of Lexar’s product lines: USB flash drives;
memory cards; internal/external SSDs; SSD enclosures; memory and
accessories.
The company is staffing up to support the brand and has already
appointed a Sales Lead to drive the channel strategy, and is in the
process of recruiting new reseller partners.
“We are on a huge drive to grow our channel to ensure we actively
engage SME/SMB customers,” Subbadu says. “Our message to
resellers is to contact us or visit our website and sign up. We are
eager to do business with you.
“We are investing in the Lexar brand, and aim to make it a top
seller in the South African market. We are tremendously excited about
the potential.”
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