Vertu company profile

Vertu is a British-based manufacturer and retailer of luxury mobile phones. The company is an independently run, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia. The concept of the company is to make mobile phones in the same vein as the luxury watch manufacturers like Rolex, TAG Heuer and Patek Philippe. Its most expensive model, it has ever made is the Signature Cobra, at US$310,000 (~€217,000), the most expensive regular model is the Signature Diamond at US$88,000 (~€62,000).

The mobiles themselves are made from very expensive materials such as gold, sapphires (for the mobile screen), rubies (for the bearings) and fine leather. Plus, each mobile is hand-made in its factories in Church Crookham, United Kingdom and Bad Homburg, Germany

The company is headquartered in the United Kingdom with offices in Paris, New York, Beverly Hills, Singapore and Hong Kong. Vertu's CEO is Alberto Torres, and the Principal Designer is Frank Nuovo.The company now employs over 400 employees.

Distribution

To keep the value of the brand, Vertu mobiles are only available in its own branded stores, leading department stores such as Harrods in London, and authorised retailers. Vertu’s flagship store opened in 2002 in Paris and then soon after in Singapore. There are now over 320 retail outlets.

Concierge Service

One of the services when one acquires a Vertu mobile, is a year free concierge service called "Vertu Concierge". It is accessed through a special button, the "Concierge key" at the side of every phone. The service comprises a team of assistants to help the owner, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A known example is when Gwyneth Paltrow used the service to give her a replacement phone charger after she had lost it.

Company Short Description

Type: Wholly-owned subsidiary of Nokia

Founded : 1998

Headquarters : London

Key people : Alberto Torres (CEO) Frank Nuovo (head of design)

Industry : Consumer electronics

Products : Luxury mobile phones

Website : www.vertu.com

from : wikipedia.org