Xiaomi to Set Up 100 'Service and Experience Stores' in India This Year

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.

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 (Review | Pictures) handsets through outlets of the country's top carrier Bharti Airtel in January, it is not in "active discussions with any other offline partner", Jain said.

Xiaomi made the announcement at its Redmi 2 and MiPad launch event in New Delhi on Thursday. The Redmi 2 has been priced at Rs. 6,999, and will be via its first flash sale on March 24. Customers can register for it on Flipkart starting 6pm on Thursday. Xiaomi says between 30,000 and 50,000 units will be made available in the first flash sale.

The Xiaomi MiPad on the other hand has been priced at Rs. 12,999. Unlike other Xiaomi devices, the Xiaomi MiPad tablet will be available in India without the flash sale method, and will be made exclusively available via Flipkart on March 24 without any registration. Only the White colour variant will be made available in India.

Written with inputs from Reuters