Africa’s first officially produced smartphone ,Mara Phones, has opened its first experience store at the Maponya Mall in Soweto, South Africa – exactly one year after it launched the country’s first smartphone manufacturing facility. According to the company, this marks a step in the right direction for Africa’s home-grown smartphone brand – noting that it hopes to open 50 Mara Experience Stores, both company-owned and independently operated, before the end of 2022.
“The launch of the first Mara Experience Store cements our commitment to expand our retail footprint in South Africa and to make it easier for customers to experience and purchase our smartphones,” says Sylvester Taku, Head of Growth at Mara Phones South Africa.
“Opening the first Mara Experience Store in Soweto’s first mall makes a positive statement about our belief in our bright African future and it connects us to the most populous and bustling places on the continent.”
Central to succeeding in South Africa’s most storied urban area is local consumer buy-in. Taku says that “loyalty is achieved by contributing to the community and we are going to continue creating experience and development opportunities for educated, yet inexperienced young South Africans and we have ensured that the people hired in the store are young individuals from Soweto.”
The new store enables customers to experience the look and feel of Mara Phones devices while being able to interact with Mara Phones technical specialists in their own community. The store will not only stock the latest Mara Phones devices but will also sell the latest accessories including phone covers and screen protectors.