Vietnamese retail giant Mobile World opens its first brick-and-mortar in Indonesia

Vietnam’s Mobile World Group (MWG) has invested US$7.3 million in a joint venture that opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Indonesia, under the name Era Blue Elektronic.

MWG holds a 45 percent stake in the joint venture with local distributor PT Erafone Artha Retailindo, a subsidiary of Erajaya Group.

MWG’s first overseas market in Southeast Asia is Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which it opened in 2017 under the name BigPhone, later renamed Bluetronics.

Indonesia is the group’s second overseas market in Southeast Asia.

MWG hopes to have five stores in Indonesia by the end of this year.

Doan Van Hieu Em, CEO of Mobile World chain, said the company decided to enter Indonesia because it lacked a leading retailer, providing good customer service to encourage shopping needs and experiences in consumers.

He added that with the presence of Era Blue, the Indonesian market can grow two to three times in the next five years.”

Erafone is one of Indonesia’s largest retailers of technological items, with a network of more than 1200 outlets specializing in offering telecom equipment, tablets, laptops, and other products.