Samsung NZ closes mobile kiosks

Samsung New Zealand has announced they will be closing all physical locations across the country due to a “changing in customer preferences”.

In a statement this evening, the company said they will be shutting mobile kiosks in six locations: Albany, Riccarton, Queensgate, Newmarket, Manukau and Sylvia Park, most of which were already closed yesterday and today.

“In response to changing customer preferences, Samsung New Zealand has made the difficult decision to close its six Samsung kiosks which serve mobile customers,” the company said.

Samsung assured customers the closures would not affect any rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act, including warranties from items recently purchased in-store.

“Samsung New Zealand remains 100 per cent committed to New Zealand and will be focusing on growing its online channels, as well as investing in retail partners like telcos and retailers.”

Samsung mobile customers can continue to access product information, purchase and receive technical support via our website, through our retail partners and our telco operators stores.

They also said customers can still shop for some products and get assistance in person through retail and telco partners. Information can also be accessed via the Internet, over the phone or through email.

They asked customers to direct all queries regarding purchases made through Layby or Q Mastercard to the finance provider and said these will also be unaffected.

Earlier this month, AP reported Samsung Electronics would cut the production of its computer memory chips in an apparent effort to reduce inventory.

The South Korean technology giant disclosed the move while forecasting another quarter of sluggish profit.

The company said in a regulatory filing it has been reducing production by unspecified “meaningful levels” to optimise its manufacturing operations. It added that it has sufficient supplies of chips to meet fluctuations in demand.

The company estimated its operating profit was US$455 million for the three months through March, which would be a 96 per cent decline from the same period a year earlier.

Samsung said the demand for its memory chips declined as a weak global economy depressed consumer spending on technology products and forced business clients to adjust their inventories to nurse worsening finances.

- Additional reporting AP