Chy Tel-ling me we can't survive

A thriving independent mobile phone dealership on the high street is rare indeed in today's market place.

Even local community knowledge, a trump card for dealers down the years, is now proving insufficient in the consumer market as it becomes increasingly apparent the deck is stacked against the indirect sales channel.

It takes remarkable customer loyalty and extreme niche market knowledge to succeed today. Amirul Choudhury, proprietor of ChyTel Communications in East London, claims both.

His dealership, situated between a pub and a kebab shop in Mile End, taps into the local British/Bangladeshi community. The main network retailers represent no competition at all, reckons Choudhury.

"We were one of the first dealers to see the opportunity of selling One2One [now T-Mobile] to the ethnic market," he says.

"We went out to that market in a very aggressive way. Our relationship with T-Mobile continues to be good because of our client base within the community; particularly within the Bangladeshi market."

He adds: "T-Mobile's stores are geared to a different market; we have a market other people can’t get in to."

Full story in Mobile News issue 417 (June 30, 2008).

To subscribe to Mobile News click here