Vertu, the luxury smartphone manufacturer sold several thousand euros, has been bought by a Chinese company specializing in security.
Until now owned by the Swedish investment fund EQT, Vertu has been bought – at an unknown price – by another investment fund, Chinese this time, Godin Holdings. If one believes the research of Engadget, this is a company based in Hong Kong established there just four months and is currently working on an OS based on Android called GOS. An entirely focused security operating system like OS Silent on BlackPhone, with a focus on data security, the inability to rooter a device or protections on the flight.
Godin Holdings has not communicated his intentions. However, it is very likely that luxury phone brand and concierge services are now added data security. The new owner of Vertu also said that for now the headquarters will remain in England, Hampshire, as the factory which produces phones. Its CEO, Massimiliano Pogliani, abandons his post after three years in charge.
Vertu is a little known brand to the general public which has existed since the late 90. Created by Nokia, its purpose is to meet market requirements niches of very rich people who wanted compounds phones luxurious materials (gold, precious stones). The company was sold by Nokia in 2012 against 200 million euros. During the last three years, she tried to cope with the competition from the iPhone, not only by reviewing the technical specifications of its phones on the rise but also by lowering the price of its aircraft to reach a wider audience. Thus, if the base price of its latest phone, the Signature Touch, is 6500 pounds, the company sold in the past phones exceeding 200,000 pounds.
Since the beginning of the year, says Vertu and have sold more than 450,000 phones with an average selling price of 5000 pounds (7039 euros). Like many luxury companies, business therefore turns out well.