Toshiba moves to expand market share in Philippines

Electronics giant Toshiba aims to grow its share in the Philippine consumer electronics market, particularly in the laptop computer, tablet and television segments.

In a briefing on Wednesday, the company unveiled its latest line of products that offer state-of-the-art features at prices, the company believed, most Filipinos will be able to afford.

“We build customer loyalty by understanding their needs,” said Toshiba Corp. executive vice president Shigenori Tokumitsu.

“The Philippines is an important market for us and we would like to offer our customers here leading-edge products offering superb quality and reliable functions,” Tokumitsu said. Toshiba, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, recently established its first subsidiary in the country, named Toshiba Philippines Inc.

“For the past years, we have been reinforcing our marketing activities in the Southeast Asian market to deliver products that address local needs and enhance brand awareness.”

Toshiba Philippines president Tomoyasu Yamamoto said the firm was aiming at a 20-percent share in the television market by 2013, up from just 4 percent today. The sale of liquid crystal display (LCD) TV sets currently makes up the bulk of Toshiba’s revenue in the Philippines.

On Wednesday, the company launched a new line of LCD TVs with features catering mainly to consumers in developing Asian markets. These features include the ability to play movies from universal serial bus, or USB, storage devices. The company also launched a television set that can run on batteries, in case of power outages.

In the laptop and personal computer (PC) market, Toshiba is aiming for a 12-percent market share by 2013, up from 6 percent today.