Sony Philippines seen to post sales of P3.5B

Sony Philippines, Inc. is expecting to post sales of about P3.5 billion for its fiscal year 2005 which ends in March this year, according to Hiroaki Kobayashi, Sony Philippines president and chief executive officer.

In an interview with The STAR, Kobayashi said that Sony had set a 10 percent growth target for its fiscal year 2005 which started April 2005 and ends in March 2006.

For fiscal year 2004, Sony Philippines had posted sales of P3.2 billion.

For fiscal year 2006, Kobayashi said, Sony is maintaining a 10-percent growth target.

The growth in Sony’s sales last year, Kobayashi said, was due to an unexpected increase in sales of Sony’s latest DVD camcorder, surprisingly even higher than sales in the United States.

Last Christmas 2005, Kobayashi said, DVD camcorder sales posted a five-percent growth while Sony DVD camcorders accounted for 20 percent of the market.

Kobayashi noted that Filipinos easily and eagerly adopt the latest technologies.

The Filipinos’ facility with the English language, Kobayashi observed, also allows them to quickly learn how to use the latest technological products.

Because of the Filipinos’ ability to adopt the latest technologies, Kobayashi said, Sony launches most of its latest models in the Philippines almost the same time as it does in the US and Europe.

Thus, Kobayashi was quick to dispel misperceptions that Sony products sold in the Philippines are not the latest models.

In an effort to encourage Filipino overseas workers to buy their Sony products here instead of abroad, Kobayashi said, Sony Philippines is offering local and international warranties for an additional fee.

Thus, products bought in the Philippines, such as camcorders or still cameras, can still be serviced outside the Philippines in 45 other countries.

The Sony brand, Kobayashi said, has been able to establish itself in the Philippines as a durable and reliable manufacturer of audio-visual appliances.

Sony, in fact, Kobayashi boasts, is now the market leader in the Philippines, outselling its nearest competitors Sharp, JVC and Panasonic.