Saturday, November 30, 2013: Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTI), a manufacturer of consumer and off-grid products integrated with flexible thin-film photovoltaic modules (CIGS), announced today the expansion of its direct retail outlets to 10 locations in the fourth quarter of 2013. Currently the company has three kiosks in its home state of Colorado; an additional 7 kiosks will be opened in California and Nevada in strategically selected locations.
Ascent has signed a strategic agreement with MarketStar Corporation to help it select, implement and manage its kiosk operations. MarketStar, founded in 1988 and based in Ogden, Utah, is an internationally proven leader in outsourced sales and marketing services, providing fully integrated solutions in over 60 countries. With the partnership, Ascent will gain additional competencies critical for further success in its retail operations. As part of the agreement, MarketStar will assume operational responsibilities for the three existing kiosks in Colorado and by early December will open the additional 7 outlets. The second phase of the partnership is expected to grow to 20 kiosks by the middle of 2014.
Over the past year, Ascent’s business strategy has evolved from being purely focused on B2B “off-grid” applications to a consumer oriented focus, manifested by the company’s EnerPlex brand of portable power products. The EnerPlex product line is changing the paradigm of solar-integrated consumer electronics and portable power solutions, providing consumers with lightweight, powerful and extremely durable charging and storage solutions for all their portable electronics.
Victor Lee, President & CEO of Ascent Solar said, “Our first three kiosks in Colorado have proven to be an effective outlet for our EnerPlex brand of portable charging solutions. With MarketStar, we align our EnerPlex brand with a proven operator and open the opportunity to further our consumer products strategy by expanding quickly into attractive target markets.”
