Epson opens East Africa office in Nairobi

Japanese printing and information technology firm Epson has opened its East African office in Nairobi in what is likely to step up competition for the regional market with its rival HP (Hewlett Packard).

The Nairobi office will act as Epson’s hub to drive the sales of its flagship products such as printers, cartridges, projectors and scanners in Eastern Africa.

“Kenya has been a trend-setter in the information technology industry being the largest market in East Africa, and it is for these reasons we opted to establish our regional office here,” said Mr Mukesh Bector, the regional manager for Epson East Africa.

“The stable economic and political atmosphere is conducive for growth and the country is home to many embassies and foreign missions in the region,” he added.

Global firms

The entry of Epson into East Africa through Nairobi follows a well-established pattern where global firms have been pitching tent in Nairobi as an entry point into the larger regional market.

READ: Asian products dominate Kenyan shops

For example, HP, a printing and IT solutions company set base in Nairobi in 2005.

Korean electronics company Samsung and LG have also established their regional liaison offices in Kenya in 2003 and this year respectively.

Previously, Espon ran its entire African operations from South Africa. The Nairobi office will be primarily used to provide business support services.

The firm’s CEO said the company will also be targeting the banking sector with its cheque truncation and scanner solutions and its LCD projectors and smart boards in the education sector to grow its sales.

“Each of our products is targeted specially to the local needs,” said Ms Jennifer Mbogo, the Business Account Manager at the Nairobi office.