AZEL restructures business amid retail sales slump

Azerbaijani IT-company AZEL plans to restructure its business to be more targeted to the corporate segment, chairman of AZEL board of directors Rasim Ibrahimov told.

The main reasons for making such a decision were instability and decline in distribution and retailing. AZEL allocated enough resources, he said.

AZEL's two stores were closed due to retail decline. Financial crisis affected retail, he said.

"On the other hand, there is a problem of grey market," he said. "It is sometimes advantageous for people to buy a laptop or a TV set and bring them from abroad, rather than to buy the same equipment from a local company which passes all the customs procedures. It affects the price that becomes less competitive."

At present, the company tries to focus more on corporate business and invest resources in it. The corporate segment is the most steadily growing market.

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