NEW DELHI: Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi will have over 30,000 retail touch points in India in the next two years, the company said on Thursday. It will invest Rs100 crore in India over the next two years, aimed at doubling its retail reach in the country, which currently stands at 15,000 touch points.
According to the company, the investment will be used to help retail partners set up and run these new stores. The company said it wants to “foster retail entrepreneurship" in rural markets in India and will create over 10,000 new jobs. It will also introduce a new Mi Retail Academy, where it plans to train sales and customer management staff in skills like in-store designing, marketing, customer service, retail excellence and more.
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“With this new initiative, we are determined to expand our presence and reach out to our customers in the convenience of their hometowns," said Manu Jain, managing director of Xiaomi India.
While the Chinese brand did lose some of its market share in India this year, amid an overall drop in the country’s smartphone market, it has remained the top smartphone seller in India for over three years now. The India smartphone market registered a 4% year-on-year decline in 2020, owing to supply chain constraints and global component shortages, driven by the pandemic.
According to data from Counterpoint Research, the company dropped 1% market share year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2020. Xiaomi owns 26% of India’s smartphone market share by shipments, followed by Samsung with 19% share. Chinese compatriots Vivo, Realme and Oppo complete the top five, with 15%, 12% and 10% market share, respectively. Premium smartphone maker, Apple, also grew this year by shipping almost 1.5 million units in 2020, almost doubling its market share in the country.
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