How Chinese electronics giant TCL plans to become a household name in SA

Chinese giant TCL is expanding the range of devices it sells using its name in a bid to become one of SA's top five electronics brands within the next three years.

Ernst Wittmann, TCL's regional manager for Southern and East Africa, said at a briefing on Thursday that the company had reason to be confident about its ambitions, with the only other company with such a diverse product range being South Korean giant Samsung.

It is already among the top five biggest brands by volume sold in mobile phones or tablets in the US, Western Europe, Australia, and Latin America. One of the reasons it has flown under the radar on the mobile device front in SA is that the company sold devices under the Alcatel name, which was licensed by Nokia. However, this licence will expire at the end of 2024.