Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has opened its first Mi Home store in Kenya at The Hub shopping mall in Karen, Nairobi.
According to the company, the new store will complement its online and offline retail presence. It previously sold its products through the Mi Store website, eCommerce platforms such as Jumia and Kilimall and also in offline retail outlets.
The new store apparently stocks upto 300 products that the company manufactures. The products available at the new store include smartphones, Android Boxes, drones, wireless charging pads, smart bulbs, lighting strips, vacuum cleaning robots, electric scooters among others. Other products such as the Mi TVs are rumoured to be coming to the country later in the year.
The company apparently plans to open 3 more stores in Nairobi with Westlands and the Nairobi CBD being the main targets.
The smartphone maker recently announced that it will open an office in Nairobi office this year as part of its Africa strategy. The company has apparently set up an Africa department that focuses on markets including Kenya. The move is apparently aimed at implementing a low-cost strategy by eliminating brokers to increase earnings as it rolls out its expansion strategy.
Xiaomi is a Chinese electronics company headquartered in Beijing. It manufactures products such as smartphones, mobile apps, laptops, bags, trimmers, earphones, Mi Television, Shoes, fitness band and many more. In Kenya, it is more known for Android smartphones such as the Mi, Redmi and Pocophone lines. With its planned expansion, we are likely to see more Xiaomi being brought into the Kenyan market.
The company has partnered with financing company Aspira, which will enable Kenyans to be able to buy Xiaomi products on credit and pay in installments.