Epson returns to retail via Incredible Connection

"The company has recently expanded its range of consumer and business printers, which have seen impressive market share gains throughout Europe. We believe it is time to implement the same strategy locally and make our wide range of Epson products more accessible to South African consumers," says Kelvin Reynolds, general manager for Epson South Africa.

"As South Africa's leading technology retailer, the group serves a significant market share in the printer retail category in our country. For Epson to quickly gain acceptance and market share, the synergy makes perfect sense, taking into account our growing national footprint of 62 stores. Its product offering is aligned with our customer profile," says Stefan Marnewick, acting CEO of Incredible Connection.

The first products to be available in store will be a range of compact colour printers, small and home office all-in-one printers and multifunctional business inkjet printers. A full range of consumables and media for these devices will also be available in store. A selection of home cinema and business projectors will be made available in due course and its entry-level business laser printers.

"One of the products that we are particularly excited to introduce to customers is the WorkForce Pro printer. This printer is specifically designed to offer cost and energy efficiency, high quality output and durability to enterprise workgroups as well as small and medium-sized businesses," says Reynolds. "It offers a genuine alternative to a laser printer and provides a cost saving of up to 50% per page (using manufacturer's toner cartridge price lists) and a 80% reduction in energy consumption, in accordance with ISO/IEEE 24711/24712, compared to competitive lasers."

"We have seen our customers becoming more and more aware of the environmental impact of their technology usage. Printing costs are also a big consideration in customer spending and consumption patterns. We believe the printer range will address both these concerns," adds Marnewick.

In addition, Epson will be sharing the benefits of its global sponsorship of British football team Manchester United with customers through a series of competitions that will see winners jetting off to the UK with a partner to attend a Manu football match at Old Trafford football ground.

"The group's sponsorship of this internationally successful team allows us the opportunity to reward our partner's customers for their support," Reynolds says. "Any customer purchasing a printer, projector, or ink or toner cartridge, is eligible to enter the competitions, which we'll be running over the course of the year."