Consumers in Europe will now have access to a dedicated shop-in-shop on the www.pixmania.com web site in which they will be able to access the full range of Skype certified products, with special packages and exclusive offers, as well as constantly updated information about the Skype functionalities and the latest Skype certified products.
Paris, 28 March 2006
Skype has today announced the signing of a pan-European marketing and sales partnership agreement with PIXmania, the European leader in Internet sales of high-tech and digital leisure products.
The agreement, covers seven European countries: France, UK, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Germany and Estonia. In each of these countries, consumers will have access to the full Skype world, through the www.pixmania.com site. They will be able to search, compare and buy the complete range of Skype certified products (headsets, earpieces, USB telephones, cordless telephones, etc), with a constantly updated range of packages and special offers. They will also be able to access information about Skype , how to use it and the latest innovations from the Skype ecosystem.
PIXmania is established in 25 countries and is Europe's largest e-commerce site for the sale of high-tech and digital leisure products (photo, DVD, video games, camcorders, tv video, audio, IT, telephony, consumables, accessories, photo printing). With an estimated 2006 turnover of 380 million euros (fiscal year 1 April to 31 March 2006) and a staff of 650, the company has more than 4 million customers and delivers its products in 24/48 h anywhere in Europe. Thanks to a state-of-the-art logistics platform and unique know-how, PIXmania also offers customers a complete range of innovative services, making extensive use of consumer testimonials on video.
"Thanks to our agreement with the e-commerce leader PIXmania, we now have a real on-line "Skype Corner" accessible to all European consumers, said James Bilefield, General Manager Skype Europe. "This is an extremely important step in the development of our distribution channels in Europe".
"An alliance with Skype looked seemed to us: a common target, two strong brands, sharing the same values based on consumers and innovation," said Jean Emile Rosenblum, Vice President of FotoVista.
Taking full advantage of PIXmania's expertise in e-commerce of high-tech and digital leisure products, the area dedicated to Skype is divided into three headings:
* Getting to know Skype – which contains instructions about the solution and how to install it
* More about Skype – which gives access to Skype pay services, the full range of certified products and Skype packages, including a range of PIXmania exclusive offers
* Skype News – constantly updated information about everything that's new in the Skype environment.
With an extremely user-friendly layout, consumers can examine and compare all the products in the range as and when they want to, with the added bonus of having access to a number of user testimonials on video.
About PIXmania
PIXmania was created in 2000 and is today Europe's largest general public e-store with more than 40,000 references at the most competitive prices on the market. PIXmania owes its success to its product availability, low prices, quick delivery and many associated services. The site had 4,000,000 customers at the end of December 2005 and receives more than 9 million one-off visitors per month.. PIXmania is also www.mypixmania.com, a portal dedicated to digital photo printing and free photo archival. With more than 450 employees, PIXmania is established in 25 European countries, achieved a turnover of 247.5 M€ ex. VAT at the end of March 2005 and anticipates turnover of 380M€ for the current year. PIXmania is a brand of the Fotovista group.
About Skype
Skype is the world’s fastest-growing Internet communication offering, allowing people everywhere to make unlimited voice and video communication for free. Skype is available in 27 languages and is used in almost every country around the world. Skype generates revenue through its premium offerings such as making and receiving calls to and from landline and mobile phones, as well as voicemail and call forwarding. Skype also has relationships with a growing network of hardware and software providers. Skype is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY). To learn more visit skype.com.
