Vu Televisions

Vu Televisions (also Vu Technologies) is a television brand and an LED TV and display manufacturer founded by Indian businessperson Devita Saraf, in United States in 2006. It is the largest-selling TV brand across e-commerce platforms in India.[1]

Vu Televisions
TypePrivate
IndustryTelevision technology
Founded2006
FounderDevita Saraf
Headquarters
Mumbai, Maharashtra
,
India
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Devita Saraf (CEO and Design Head)
Products
  • Luxury Series
  • Premium UHD
  • Smart Series
  • Iconium Series
  • Play Series
  • Corporate TVs
BrandsVu
Number of employees
5,000
Websitevutvs.com

History and products

Vu Technologies was founded as a high-end electronics company in 2006 by Indian businessperson Devita Saraf, who became its CEO and Design Head.[2]

With a sales turnover of ₹100 crore, the company turned profitable in 2012. It started exporting televisions to United States.[3] Vu introduced ultra-high-definition television (4K HD) in 2014.[4] At the end of the year, the company, valued at ₹200 crore, was selling about 40,000 televisions a year.[3]

Vu had annual sales of $30 million in 2015, with 3,00,000 units sold.[5][6] Vu Technologies gave away a 25% stake in the company to private equity investors.[3]

In 2016, Vu introduced entertainment-focused apps on its TVs, with video on demand including Netflix as a preloaded feature.[7] The company had 20 own stores in Indian cities. Already producing TVs with a range of input options, including features like MHL compatibility and built-in Miracast support, the company launched Vu SuperMac TV, India's first TV with built-in OS X Mountain Lion Operating System. It has also manufactured Windows and Android-based televisions. Its designer TV sets include one made in collaboration with designer Tarun Tahiliani, with a Swarovski crystal frame.[2][8]

Aside from India, Vu Televisions are sold in 60 countries.[2] The company sells a majority of its televisions online and has become the highest-selling TV brand across e-commerce platforms in India.[1][9] In 2016, Flipkart became its exclusive online sales partner.[10] The share of Vu grew to 40% of the total marketshare in the TV category for Flipkart.[11]

Vu Technologies imports all the components for panel manufacturing from China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.[12] The company had an annual turnover of ₹500 crore for 2016–17, and Flipkart reported that Vu had grown 200% on its marketplace in that period. According to analysts, the main reason for such growth was its offer of high-quality TV sets at affordable prices. Vu is expected to generate sales of about ₹850–900 crore by March 2018.[11][13][14]

References
  1. Gulveen Aulakh (13 September 2016). "Vu launches premium TVs in The Republic of India, aims for No. 4 slot in high-end segment". The Economic Times.
  2. Rashi Varshney (14 November 2016). "Vu Technologies gives TV sets a tech makeover". Financial Express.
  3. Purvita Chatterjee (10 December 2014). "Vu Tech to offload 25% stake to PE funds". The Hindu Business Line.
  4. Sulabh Puri (12 September 2014). "Vu Technologies Launches Quad-Core 50 And 55-inch 4K TVs in India". Business Insider India.
  5. Naazneen Karmali (15 January 2016). "India's Devita Saraf Steps Out To Become A 'Model' CEO". Forbes.
  6. Sunny Sen (25 May 2016). "The rise of Indian TV makers, a threat to Samsung, LG and Sony". Hindustan Times.
  7. "TV ads just went digital, and this could have far reaching impact on the industry". BGR. 25 April 2017.
  8. Gopal Sathe (20 February 2015). "With New TVs, Vu Hopes Mobile Video Consumption Will Move to the Big Screen". Gadgets 360.
  9. Purvita Chatterjee (7 September 2016). "To counter LeEco, Videocon drops price for 4K ultra HD TV". The Hindu Business Line.
  10. "After VU TVs find their way to Amazon, Snapdeal, company clarifies its exclusive online sales partner is Flipkart". Financial Express. 21 December 2016.
  11. Payal Ganguly (17 May 2017). "Vu TV increases market share with Big 10 Sale". The Economic Times.
  12. "Vu Tech to enter more cities, eyes Rs 500 crore sales in FY17". The Economic Times. 12 May 2016.
  13. Eric Bellman (23 January 2017). "Trump Inauguration: Why One of India's Top Female CEOs Took Out an Ad to Congratulate the President". The Wall Street Journal.
  14. Anirban Sen (17 May 2017). "Vu Technologies expects to nearly double sales to Rs 900 crore by March 2018". Live Mint.
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