Samsung Electronics has launched its biggest mobile store in India, as a part of its efforts to maintain its dominant position in the second biggest smartphone market of the world where it is facing tough rivalry from Chinese and local brands.
The newly opened store, its biggest in the world, covers area of 33,000 ft2 and is located in Bengaluru. It would help the South Korean tech giant in extending its lead in the country over international competitors including Apple Inc. (AAPL), which hasn’t opened any flagship store in India so far.
India boasts over one billion wireless connections and offers a lucrative opportunity for smartphone manufacturers amid high smartphone user growth in the country as compared to U.S. and China.
Samsung also opened the world’s largest smartphone plant outside New Delhi just a couple of months ago.
Speaking in an interview, senior vice-president of mobile business at Samsung India, Mohandeep Singh said that India is a very important market. He added that the company plans to launch more such stores in the 10 major cities of the country, as these stores will help Samsung further consolidate its share as it moves forward.
The newly opened store in Bengaluru will not only feature smartphones, but also offer its consumer electronics goods and latest innovations. It will also include a service center for cell phones.
The South Korean tech company is running 2,100 stores across India with the collaboration of franchise partners. However, it is facing fierce competition from several Chinese brands and its biggest rival Apple.
The iPhone maker sells its devices in the country through online marketplaces and reseller stores. However, Apple is still far behind Samsung with a market share of just one percent. Samsung is the leading smartphone maker in India with 29 percent market share.
