Samsung begins official distribution of Harman products

Samsung Electronics will start selling Harman International’s consumer audio products from Tuesday through its local distribution channels, the company announced Monday.

It is the first official business move since the South Korean tech titan completed its acquisition of the 70-year-old US-based audio system manufacturer for $8 billion in March.

Samsung will officially release 40 speaker, earphone and headphone products under the Harman Kardon, JBL and AKG brands that represent strong audio systems through 30 Samsung Digital Plaza shops across the country, with a plan to gradually expand the distribution points.

Within the year, Samsung plans to open exclusive Harman shops at multipurpose malls, providing consumers with better experiences of enjoying sound.

Harman products have been sold here through Harman Korea with limited distribution channels that are now to be expanded through Samsung.

After-sales services for the Harman products will be available through Samsung’s service centers nationwide, the company said.

Samsung took over Harman that is also specialized in automotive electronics with an aim to expand into the transportation, retail, hospitality and education industries.

While keeping Harman’s operations separately, Samsung said the two will team up for new projects in the aforementioned areas whenever necessary. On July 13, the two announced a collaborative theater project adopting Samsung’s light-emitting diode technology for cinema together with Harman’s JBL speakers at Lotte Cinema World Tower in Jamsil, southern Seoul.