GSL Professional’s Middle East expansion continues
Published: MEA
MIDDLE EAST: GSL Professional serves as the official distributor for several reputable pro audio brands across the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq. Its portfolio includes TASCAM and the catalogue of Harman Professional’s audio brands, such as dbx, Crown and JBL. As the distributor continues to grow in the region, the manager of its entertainment division - ME, Abboud Aljuneidi, regularly travels throughout the Middle East. His most recent trip took him to Qatar and Jordan to find, assign and authorise new resellers in the countries.
‘The purpose of the travels was also to put faces to names,’ said Mr Aljuneidi. ‘Additionally, I wanted to explain the role, which we, as a company will be acting in the new territories as the official distributor of Harman professional audio brands, along with the new company structure.’
The visit to Qatar was deemed a particular successful excursion. ‘We assigned two official resellers in Qatar and we have multiple negotiations and projects in the pipeline,’ Mr Aljuneidi confirmed. ‘Overall, I feel that both the trips were very successful.’
Jordan, however, poses a little more of a challenge. ‘I feel most of the GCC Countries are quite similar in terms of rules and regulations, but Jordan is quite different from the rest. Comparatively, it’s a little more challenging since customs, importing rules and procedures are very different there,’ explained the GSL entertainment division manager. ‘But, of course, these are just the initial teething problems, which is quite normal. We have to follow each country’s market rules. These factors play a large role in controlling the business. We are ambitious and optimistic, but we have to offer bespoke solutions to all the new territories which we have acquired.’
Although various factors, such as customs, pricing and tax all present initial obstacles when expanding into a new territory, Mr Aljuneidi has somewhat of an home field advantage in Jordan, hailing from the country. ‘Of course, it’s much easier for me, in terms of the people and also the routes are very familiar to me,’ he noted. ‘Overall, Jordan was definitely easier than some other countries.’
Mr Aljuneidi continued by discussing what has led to GSL Professional experiencing such vast expansion across the region. ‘I believe what differentiates us from the competitors is that we always stock intelligently, which means conducting analysis and anticipating orders, the stock type and quantity. This enables us to predict the market requirements,’ he said. ‘We also have very efficient and professional colleagues. We ensure that everyone is equipped for technical troubleshooting and assisting the clients as well.
‘We offer full support in terms of training, and bring the training to each region,’ he furthered. ‘We also provide assistance in terms of turnkey professional audio solutions and sound design on larger projects. For example, we’ve recently helped with designing clubs.’
With 2016 drawing to a close and another year dawning, Mr Aljuneidi predicts further growth for the company and that it will take more of the market share.
‘In order to achieve this goal, we’ve employed specialised sales/technical staff, which gives me the flexibility to focus on travelling in order to build and maintain relationships,’ he said. ‘My priority is to offer our clients innovative solutions and support.’