Tell us a little about Philips' consumer lifestyle products? Consumer lifestyle has different kinds of sub-categories; we have domestic appliances which contain irons and kitchen appliances. We also have personal care products including grooming and beauty for men and women, baby care (AVENT) products, and lifestyle entertainment products. Which market segments do you target? We have different types of segmentation; we have different price levels including entry level, mid and high, but we also have competitive products that are more interesting for high and middle income groups of society, with iron prices starting at EGP 199 and reaching ten times that. From your perspective, evaluate the Egyptian market? I came to Cairo in April 2012 just after the revolution and it has been exciting times for sure. When we started to work in Egypt, it was because we saw a big opportunity here regardless of the situation. Philips has a very strong legacy, with more than 120 years of innovation. I think today you can see we are still growing in this market and there is a strong demand even in the last couple of months. Despite the challenges that we face, we still see strong demand. We as a manufacturer and as a brand really want to build across the different sectors, and with consumer lifestyle, we are building a local team, distribution channels, marketing and sales campaigns. We are focusing on innovation. We believe that you can choose to think about challenges, but we choose to think about opportunities. I grew up in Holland with Philips dominating the market, and then I moved to Singapore. Throughout the region, Asia Philips is the leading brand. We are aiming to be the leading brand in the market, there is only opportunity for us.We have been one of the strongest in the past and we also will be one of the strongest in the future. We have seen a lot of economic and political issues recently. Every country has its own challenges; you just have to deal with it. I truly believe if you have the objective to be successful in the market you can overcome these challenges. The whole industry has to deal with it and I think the strongest will survive. The good thing is that the government is really dedicated to making it happen. The Egyptian market is still very attractive because the country has a large and rapidly-growing population. Although Egypt has challenges, the economic situation is going to be better. Based on the consumer studies we have conducted, we see there is still a demand for products which we can supply. What do you think are your most successful products? I would have to say that the Phillips Airfryer is one of our most successful products. It is a healthier alternative for using a regular fryer because it doesn't need to use any fat, so the consumer can eat healthy food without any oil. Our consumer studies confirmed that Egyptians like fried food. Although it's a mid or high level product, it has been our best selling product over the last two years. We try to understand the consumer's needs and how to improve our distribution. Are there any upcoming plans or products? We have started a cooperation partnership with Chef Sherbiny to introduce healthy fast food recipes using Philips products. You can currently watch him cook live with Philips products on one of Egypt's top TV channels. Tell us more about the Al-Araby agreement? We want to have sufficient distribution coverage, so it's critical. We think that we are professionals so we have to deal with professionals. Al-Araby is one of most respectful and largest distributors in Egypt. I think the most important thing is that the consumer buys premium products because of the brand. Al-Araby also offers some of the best after-sales services.
