STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Oct. 17, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Vodafone Sweden and SIBA have signed a collaboration agreement with a view to offering SIBA's customers the services of Vodafone Sweden as a mobile operator. Vodafone Sweden will be represented at all SIBA stores in Sweden starting next week.
For Vodafone Sweden, the agreement means that the company is continuing to establish new distribution channels for the sale of its services and products, thus increasing its contact with the consumer market. Earlier this year, Vodafone Sweden signed similar agreements with ICA and El-Giganten, among others.
SIBA is one of Sweden's largest retailers of mobile telephones, and the agreement signifies a major opportunity for the company to increase its market share of telecom sales in Sweden.
"This agreement with Vodafone Sweden enables us to broaden our service range. For our customers, that means greater freedom of choice," said Hans Lindner, Purchasing Manager for Telephony at SIBA.
"We are naturally delighted about this collaboration with SIBA. The company has a strong brand and is one of the Nordic region's leading retail chains. It is vital for Vodafone Sweden to build up a distribution network with extensive coverage of the consumer market so that we can increase our market share in this segment," said Goran Mannerstrale, Commercial Director of business area Consumer at Vodafone Sweden.
Vodafone Sweden's products and services will be available at all 36 SIBA stores in Sweden as of the beginning of next week.
For more information, please contact:
Vodafone Sweden Goran Mannerstrale, Commercial Director, Consumer, Vodafone Tel: +46 708 33 18 45 e-mail: goran.mannerstrale@vodafone.se SIBA Johanna Euren, Head of Information, SIBA Tel: +46 704 500 113 e-mail: johanna.euren@siba.se
Europolitan Vodafone AB is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange O-list on Attract 40. The operations are conducted by Europolitan Vodafone AB and its subsidiaries, Vodafone Sverige AB and Vodafone Stores AB. The majority shareholder is Vodafone Group Plc, with 73.1 per cent of the shares, while private shareholders, investment companies and pension funds own the remaining 26.9 per cent. The Vodafone Group is the world's largest mobile network and is represented in 28 countries on five continents. It has over 229 million mobile telecoms users. Our services enhance the efficiency of companies' operations and make it simpler and more fun for people to communicate. For more information, please visit our web site at www.vodafone.se and www.vodafone.com.
SIBA was founded in 1951 and is today one of the Nordic region's largest retail chains in the field of home electronics, with 52 stores in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The Group reported net sales of SEK 3.2 billion for the 2000/2001 financial year and has around 900 employees.
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