Huawei was listed on Interbrands 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list again in 2015, moving up to rank 88 rising above both the Heineken and MTV brand. 2015 was the year of many firsts, including making the prestigious BrandZ list. Huawei ranked 70 on the list because the brand invested in its global technology offering, demonstrated with two third of its revenue coming from markets outside of China. Achieving a rank on the BrandZ list recognizes Huaweis real strengths. Huaweis brand momentum also took a major step forward in 2015. The brand moved way beyond competitors HTC, Lenovo and Sony in terms of brand development while keeping a steady growth in utilization rate. These goals are in line with Huaweis key objective which is becoming the worlds most respected brand. Research and development are important pillars of the Huawei brand and enjoys resources derived from a global level. 10% of sales in 2014 (USD 1.2 billion) were allocated to R&D. Today Huawei is proud of its 16 R&D centers located around the world including in China, Japan, India, US and EU all of which are assigned individual tasks to endure the smooth running of operations.
Huawei also covers a global sales network located in over 170 countries and regions around the world. To get to the actual numbers - there are 3,936 retails stores in Western Europe, 4,853 in Southeast Asia, 1,540 in Northeast Europe and 2,062 in North Africa. For the first half of 2015, the proportion of public sales channels (including online) grew 56%. Further, Huawei is expected to build 32,171 retail stores (premium experience stores, experience stores, dedicated divisions and shops) globally by the end of 2015. The total number of stores meanwhile will increase 100 percent year-on-year. Huaweis new flagship products were a major success for all their customers in 2015. The new P8 had its global launch in London on April 15th while The Mate S and Huawei Watch were both launched in Berlin on September 2nd. Both launches were lauded by both our customers and technology pundits from around the world.
Huaweis Consumer Business Group market share is No.2, No.3 and No.4 in Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE respectively1. When the entire region is taken into consideration, Huawei sits at No.3 behind Samsung and Apple. Huawei was also awarded at the Diamond Awards for Smartphones at DISTREE Middle East for its achievements and growth in the region.
Huawei performance in Kuwait is looking extremely bright. It has made breakthroughs not only for affordable devices but also in mid- and high-end devices. In 2012, Huawei shipped 53,000 units in Kuwait. This number rose tremendously in 2014 where Huawei shipped over 659,000 units. This is a clear indication of Huaweis amazing potential in the smartphone market not only in Kuwait and the Middle East but also around the world.