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Research In Motion opening first of many BlackBerry flagship stores in Dubai - Erin Burnett is pleased

By Michelle Haag on 17 Apr 2012 03:06 am
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In a refreshing twist from all the doom and gloom we hear about Research In Motion these days, Erin Burnett of CNN weighed in on recent reports of plans the BlackBerry maker has to build the first of many flagship stores in Dubai. She even affectionately refers to her red BlackBerry Torch as 'Beloved' in the video above. "My Beloved rules in the developing world, and that's a huge thing that goes uncovered here at home."

It's no secret that while BlackBerry sales have seen a decline in the recent past in North America, the platform continues to thrive in other countries. In the Middle East, for example, carriers offer very competitive consumer and business packages for BlackBerry users, and BlackBerry Messenger is very popular with adults and youths alike. Recent IDC data shows that shipments in the Middle East and Africa more than doubled to 2.29 million units in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, outselling the iPhone by a margin of nearly 4-to-1.

RIM is currently partnering with Axiom Telecom and is in the final stages of negotiation on a lease for 1500 square feet of retail space in Dubai that will be home to the first BlackBerry flagship store in the region. Sandeep Saihgal, managing director of RIM’s Middle East business, said in an interview that the plans don't end there. “We’re getting the first one up and running and then we’ll be looking at other cities across the Middle East -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar." In fact, they are looking at opening 4000 stores, kiosks, and more in Indonesia alone. During the same interview, Patrick Spence, RIM’s global head of sales, indicated that the Middle East expansion "will probably be followed by Africa, with RIM planning flagship stores in markets including Nairobi, Kenya, and Lagos".

Sources: Bloomberg, CNN

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Topics: Indonesia Dubai Retail Store Flagship Axiom News & Rumors International News

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Michelle Haag Michelle Haag 1141 (articles) 1620 (forum posts)
33 comments

kdna

RIM needs to blow everyone out of the water with BB10. As an indie dev on BlackBerry, I can tell you that the only devs that make money are the large co's like Rovio, Gameloft, or those that outsource to China like (Smarter Apps).

Still sticking it out because I love my email.

crozyBB

What have you developed?

world traveler and former ceo

All great news! ... RIM needs to roll these out ASAP .. great strategy on their part!!! ... finally, they are starting to get it!! ...

oz_insatiable

nice to see some positive media coverage....infact the presenter even seemed quite proud as she reeled off the stats

purijagmohan

Erin burnett was so great at CNBC.She has lost her charm though.Happens with age.

G-bone

I think it's more about the content...she wasn't going to sleep with you anyway...

ritesh

If it was more about content, they would have placed a bot to read out stories and news on every news channel.
Most of 'em watch and listen because of the presenter.
Classic example: Mobile Nations weekly round-up by Ashley.

Shark635

Its not age... its CNN!

birdman_36

I disagree. I think she's very charming. Pretty bold of her to convey pride for her phone on the air

siddo_d

WHERES THE UK AND USA STORES!!!!!

Joy1980

What is worse, them not having stores or them having stores and they are always empty? I think that is what they are thinking. In Dubai and the other countries, where they have or going to have stores, that is not a concern.

kupfernigk

Carphone Warehouse, in the UK. They promote PB quite heavily.

thelink74

I agree!!!! Where are the other stores in the bigger market. I'm sure they can at least start with one in a major city in the UK and USA. I live in PA, USA so I would want one in the East coast like NY or Philadelphia......

Darrweng

I love this girl. Erin, you are my beloved...next to my bold!

antikorr

She's so cool! So devoted to BB. God, that was sincere!

RIM can't fail with fans like her!

Alex_613

Let's go Rimpire !
We need a BlackBerry flagship store here in the US.

always3rd

We have a BlackBerry store in Farmington Hills, Mi.....its all BlackBerry.

robert.wason

Well that was refreshing to hear, rather than the rest of the news outlets parroting a stale story of doom and gloom. Don't get me wrong, RIM is certainly at a turning point now, but it's not so one sided as you may believe from some reports in the US.

depscribe

Wonder if they have the PlayBook keyboard? Because we certainly don't.

OTCHRussell

I was in a small local AT&T store last week. The salesman told me I should trade my Bold 9000 for a Bold 9900. That's a switch!!! He said he prefers BB & in his country (in the Caribbean) most people have BBs!! I wish that would happen in the US so I could use my BBM for more than 1 friend!
Good for Erin and her Beloved!!

ishamid

I am worried that RIM will let BB10 out the door without solid Arabic-script support. This is because

1) BB10 Is based on the same OS as the PlayBook - which has no Arabic or bidirectional support at all.

2) RIM'S record of releasing things - viz. the PlayBook - 3/4th baked (not to say half-baked).

If they release BB10 without solid Arabic, along without Arabic on the PlayBook, then they will really be shooting themselves in the foot.

mnhockeycoach99

ishamid - I don't want to sound like a jerk because I truly understand your concern for not having Arabic-support on the PlayBook or BB10 devices.. but you have posted this same comment in multiple articles. I would think that if RIM popping up stores across the Middle East, their products will eventually have Arabic support.

guerllamo7

in you midget face Jim "the liar" Cramer!

QC_Al

Its starting....AAPL & GOOG down 10% in last couple of days...RIM (& RIMM) up 10+%. The buzz has been started, if you look around enough you'll see more and more little stories of praise like this. RIM is not dead, far from it and the news is getting out. All we need now is delivery. I personally believe that BB10 WILL live up to the hype. Stay Calm...Be Bold everyone.

Deathcommand

... One of those was an iPhone..

BBforAll

I LOVE Erin Burnett. She was great on CNBC and now they SUCK (cause she left). Also, can someone send her an updated 9810? Shes rocking the 9800 still...

Maybe she likes the color. Either way, thanks Erin! You Goddess!

patelnet

Is it just me or did everyone else notice the dude rocking his trackwheel?! CNN must have some really old stock video of people using "smartphones" or Thorsten is right and RIM really need to get on the marketing and shove a BB7 device into the hands of anyone using a 9700 or lower! :)

On the other hand it shows the staying power of a 8700....still rocking hard on the Street!

QC_Al

I "rock" a Curve 8900...for now. C'MON BB10!

bajbajbaj1

I now have a new future ex-wife. And her name is Erin Burnett.
--Joz

Long Live The RIMpire!!!!

Shark635

Meanwhile, according to Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-16/rim-said-to-discuss-hiring-bank...) RIM is considering hiring an investment bank to help plot long-term corporate options. It may be a prudent move, but sure doesn't smell good.

birdman_36

If would be neat if RIM would open a flagship store in the medium to largest market with the highest concentration of BlackBerry smartphone subscribers. It would be a good opportunity to demonstrate the interoperability with the PlayBook.

3_M4N

Erin gets a +1 from me :) This was a great article to read while I wait for my Playbook OS update to finish downloading!

Skoal712

Yes Erin thanks for the positive story it was excellent