Brightstar accessory operations now represent an annual retail value of more than $1 billion (USD) due to recent acquisitions and organic growth

BARCELONA, Spain. - Wednesday, March 4th 2015 [ME NewsWire]

Mobile World Congress 2015

(BUSINESS WIRE) Brightstar Corp. today announced that its mobile accessories operations now represent an annual estimated retail value of more than $1 billion (USD), making Brightstar’s global accessories organization one of the largest in the world, in addition to already being the world’s No. 1 distributor of devices and a leader in diversified services for the wireless industry.

“The mobile accessories category is among the fastest growing segments in the wireless industry, and we’ve created a global accessory business, with local focus, to go hand-in-hand with our device distribution and innovative services,” said Bruce Hawver, President of Global Accessories.

Brightstar provides a true global perspective of trends and preferences, benefitting local and regional customers and vendors, along with the services needed to prepare for the ongoing growth and evolution of the accessories industry.

“Traditional hardware accessories like charging cables, cases and other carrying accessories are growing about 5 percent a year. They will always be a mainstay, and in addition, we’re expanding to meet demand for products that enhance the user mobile experience such as high-end headphones, fitness trackers, wireless speakers, wearable cameras and more,” Hawver said. “These products are what we call ‘enhanced products,’ and they are driving tremendous growth in the industry.”

Brightstar has distributed accessories for many years, however, Brightstar became a global leader following the investment in SoftBank Commerce & Service Corp (SoftBank C&S) in 2014. In addition to successful software and ICT distribution business lines, SoftBank C&S designs and manufactures high quality SoftBank SELECTION accessories, and has shipped a total of more than 36 million units in Japan. The company is the No. 1 smartphone case supplier in Japan and distributes to more than 10,000 retail locations.

Brightstar also expanded its accessories distribution and services through organic and inorganic growth in Europe, the U.S. and Latin America. The company now supplies some of the largest retailers and operators, and works closely with OEMs to market products. In Europe and the U.S., the Brightstar accessory business touches approximately 20,000 points of sale in each region.

In addition to products, Brightstar continues to expand innovative services tailored to its retail, operator and manufacturing customers in the accessories market in areas such as training, seeding, promotion, analytics, and vendor managed inventory, which all make it easier for customers to provide the best mobile accessories experience to consumers.

About Brightstar

Brightstar is the world’s largest specialized wireless distributor and a leading provider of diversified services focused on enhancing the performance and results of the key participants in the wireless device value chain: manufacturers, operators and retailers. In 2013, Brightstar reported global gross revenues of $10.5 billion and employs about 9,000 people on six continents. For more information, please visit Brightstar.com.

Contacts

Brightstar Corp.

Erik Hofmeyer, 305-921-1258

Erik.Hofmeyer@brightstar.com

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