Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi has closed from March 5 its first and only physical store in the UK, which was located in the Westfield London shopping center in Shepherd’s Bush, a district of west London.
“Our adjustment to our local retail strategy is a response to the company’s rapid growth in Western Europe,” said the company in a statement to Android Authority regarding this matter. Shoppers can continue to buy Xiaomi products through the company’s website and other official channels, Xiaomi added.
Xiami’s store in the UK was opened in November 2018. During an interview with CNBC in Feb 2019, the company’s current president Wang Xiang stressed its strategy in the European market, saying it planned to triple its store count in the region by the end of 2019, up from fewer than 50 in 2018.
Xiaomi has not responded to KrASIA‘s request for a comment on the matter.
Xiaomi, the world’s fourth-largest smartphone vendor, has gained plenty of traction in the Western European market since its debut in Spain in 2017. During the 50th annual World Economic Forum in Davos in January, Chew Shouzi, Xiaomi’s president of international operations, claimed that the firm is the fourth-largest smartphone manufacturer and the second-largest wearables brand in the Western European market. Also, Xiaomi’s line of electric scooters hit a 17% market share in the same market.
This article is part of KrASIA’s “China Brief” section, where KrASIA’s reporters will provide quick daily updates about the tech ecosystem in China.