"In the interest of contributing toward protecting the environment, we are introducing a unique scheme under which anyone having unused, unwanted, or damaged mobile sets can take them to Emax and get cash in return," Ravi Krishnan, chief operating officer of Centrepoint, told a press conference at the unveiling of the "largest Emax store in the Kingdom," at Sawary Landmark, on King Road over the weekend.

Adnan Hussein Mandoura, deputy secretary general of the Jeddah Chamber Of Commerce and Industry, the chief guest who opened the store, was visibly impressed with the display of thousands of latest digital and other electronic products at the showroom.

"The new store with a "totally new concept offering unique retailing and home solutions is our flagship store, and is the third outlet in Jeddah, fifth in the Kingdom and 17th in the GCC," Neelesh Bhatnagar, director, Landmark Group and CEO of Centrepoint and Emax, said.

An investment of SR30-SR35 million has gone into the establishment of the new store. This is part of over SR200 million invested in Emax stores across the Kingdom. The new store features a whole range of electronic products and services of over 300 international brands and over 100,000 electronic, digital and electrical products.

By July 2010, Emax plans to have four more stores across the Kingdom - two in Riyadh (at King Abdullah road and at Riyadh Gallery), and two in Dammam (at Dareen mall and at Othaim mall). Emax already has its presence in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Muscat. It is also venturing into the Indian subcontinent. Expansion into China and Eastern Europe are also on its radar.

"We are selling a solution for every need and not just boxes. Here one can upgrade their computers, for instance. We expect our total sales to exceed SR200 million in this store. Our effort is to enhance international retailing standards across the Kingdom," Bhatnagar added.

Landmark Group has been at the forefront of creating some of the most unique concepts in retailing in the region including Centrepoint, Home Centre and Citymax. "With Emax we plan to revolutionize technology retailing with its unique business model that combines the best brands, overwhelming product diversity, a range of never-before-customer-friendly-services and astonishing value, all in a large format store," he said.

Ravi Krishnan, CEO-Emax KSA, said: "We have set up a world-class in-house facility to train Saudi youngsters before they are deployed at the stores in line with the Kingdom's Saudization plan. After-sales service is a natural extension to the one-floor service we provide. IT solution and print shop are among the special features at the new store. It also has the largest LCD wall. It's the first store to launch ipad, 3D Laptop, 3D Digital camera, 3D LED in the Kingdom. We will raise the bar for electronics retailing and customer expectations for range and quality of service, and will change the way electronic shopping is done in the Kingdom."

Suresh Srinivas, national marketing manager of the group, said as a promotional offer, customers would get a free Emax shopping voucher for every SR1,000 worth purchase at Emax Sawary. Besides, the top spender of the day will get a free ticket from Air Arabia. We also have a tie-up with Samba Financial Group, wherein any customer who purchases for SR5,000 and above on a Samba credit card, will be eligible for a 10 percent cash back.