Local telecom-equipment retail chain Arcoa Communication Co (全虹通信) said yesterday it had acquired a majority stake in Data Express Infotech Co (德誼數位科技) as part of its plans to include high-end products in its distribution network.
“Arcoa reached an agreement with Data Express to purchase up to 70 percent of its shares by the end of the year,” Phoebe Yang (楊偉苹), an Arcoa official, said by telephone yesterday, adding that the deal was estimated to be worth more than NT$100 million (US$3.25 million) once the purchase was completed.
Arcoa is a subsidiary of Far Eas-Tone Telecommunications Co (遠傳電信), the nation’s No. 3 telecommuncations operator after Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) and Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大).
The acquisition of Data Express — which mainly sells high-end products from Apple Inc and HTC Corp (宏達電) at its 38 outlets — will help Arcoa increase the number of its stores from 172 to 210 while expanding its customer base, Yang said.
Data Express, established in 2004, is one of Apple’s authorized distributors in Taiwan. More than half of its outlets are in high-end department stores.
Arcoa, founded in 1981, competes head-to-head with Chunghwa Telecom’s Senao International Co (神腦國際), Aurora Telecom (震旦通訊) and Jason Communication Co (傑昇通信) in the local telecom retail business.
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