The US retail giant will stop selling all Huawei phones, laptops, and smartwatches in the coming weeks, they said. (Image Source: Bloomberg)
Best Buy Co, the large consumer electronics retailer, plans to sever ties with Chinese phone maker Huawei amid US government criticism of the phone maker, according to people familiar with the matter.
The US retail giant will stop selling all Huawei phones, laptops, and smartwatches in the coming weeks, they said. In addition, Best Buy won’t sell phones under the Honor brand, a Huawei subsidiary that was supposed to help the Chinese phone maker sell in lower-cost smartphone markets globally, including in the US. Best Buy follows US mobile-phone carriers AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc in distancing themselves from Huawei, which has come under scrutiny by US officials concerned about whether the company is too closely affiliated with the Chinese government.
After the top two US carriers decided not to go forward with Huawei devices, the company began selling its latest phone, the Mate 10 Pro, directly to consumers, through outlets like Best Buy and Amazon.com Inc. The device is still available on Best Buy’s website, but the retail giant won’t purchase new supply from Huawei and will stop selling the phone in the coming weeks, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the retailer’s action isn’t yet public.
After the top two US carriers decided not to go forward with Huawei devices, the company began selling its latest phone, the Mate 10 Pro, directly to consumers, through outlets like Best Buy and Amazon.com Inc. (File Photo)
“Huawei currently sells its products through a range of leading consumer electronics retailers in the US,” the Chinese company said in a statement. “We have a proven history of delivering products that meet the highest security, privacy and engineering standards in the industry and are certified by the Federal Communications Commission for sale in the US”
A Best Buy representative declined to comment. Best Buy’s plan to stop selling Huawei smartphones was earlier reported by CNET.