China's Xiaomi to set up 100 'experience' stores in India in 2015
[NEW DELHI] Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Inc said on Thursday it will open 100 stores in India this year to help consumers in the world's third-largest smartphone market "experience" the company's devices, but will not sell them at these stores.
Xiaomi, whose low-priced but feature-rich smartphones have made it the biggest smartphone vendor in China, entered India in July and sells its phones primarily through flash sales on online retailer Flipkart.com.
The 'service and experience stores' would be set up over 500 to 1,000 square feet and will launch in cities including Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore in the first week of April, Manu Jain, Xiaomi's India head, told reporters in New Delhi at the launch of the company's latest budget smartphone.
Though the company started selling its Redmi Note 4G handsets through outlets of the country's top carrier Bharti Airtel Ltd in January, it is not in "active discussions with any other offline partner", Mr Jain said.
REUTERS
KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Technology
'Harvesting data': Latin American AI startups transform farming
After long peace, Big Tech faces US antitrust reckoning
Tech’s cash crunch sees creditors turn ‘violent’ with one another
Tech millionaires chase billionaire tax shields with ‘swap fund’
Elon Musk’s Starlink profits are more elusive than investors think
Hollywood animation, VFX unions fight AI job cut threat