MARTIN AUDIO APPOINTS IES AS INDIAN DISTRIBUTOR

Martin Audio has appointed Integrated Entertainment Solutions (IES) as its new exclusive distributor for India. The agreement was formalised at this month's Prolight+Sound Show in Frankfurt.

The Mumbai-based sound and lighting company had previously been operating as a dealer, and has been working with the Martin Audio brand since 2006, both in a rental and installation capacity. During that time it has fitted out many auditoriums and specified a vast range of systems, from Blackline+ and AQ series, up to the W8L Longbow, W8LC Compact and W8LM Mini line arrays.

IES set out primarily as a distributor/dealer for multinational companies, manufacturing intelligent lighting, control and sound equipment, and has been steadily growing its distribution portfolio, adding lighting brands such as Robe.

Said director Kekul Sheth, 'We are delighted to be handling the Martin Audio distribution exclusively and will be ramping up our infrastructure even further to accommodate this. Martin Audio has good brand visibility in India and offers great sales potential in all our core markets; in many cases this will be repeat business.'

However, both he and business partner, Rasesh Parekh, said they were particularly relishing the opportunity to introduce the MLA family to the local market adding that the latest addition - the MLA Mini, which celebrated its global launch in Frankfurt - would be perfectly placed for the country's large nightclub and bar market.

Martin Audio Export Sales Manager (EMEA), Dominic Jacobson, added: 'We've been talking to IES or a very long time and we are delighted to have reached this conclusion.

'We had been looking for solid distribution in India and IES' penetration - particularly of the installation market - is extremely strong. They also have good connections in live sound and associated sectors and this intuitively feels like a natural fit.'