Vivo opens 500th exclusive store in India, targets 650 by end of 2021

Smartphone maker Vivo India on Wednesday announced opening of its 500th exclusive store in India with plans to take the total number to 650 by 2021.

With these 500 exclusive stores, Vivo's network of exclusive stores is spread across more than 280 cities in India covering major tier 1, 2 and 3 cities.

"We are pleased to achieve this milestone of 500 exclusive stores in India. We believe that the offline channel is preferred by customers, as they like to experience the product before making a purchase decision. With customer centricity at the centre of all decisions, we, at vivo India, strive to offer our customers unique retail experiences," Nipun Marya, Director-Brand Strategy, vivo India, said in a statement.

In the ongoing calendar year, Vivo added more than 150 stores in the calendar year as part of its plans to expand its footprint in premium experiential retail in India.

"The company plans to expand the network to over 650 exclusive stores by 2021, to offer an exclusively delightful retail experience to its customers," the statement said.

Vivo exclusive stores have multiple zones where its customers can experience live demonstration of Vivo smartphones, experience gaming, virtual reality etc.

According to market research firm GFK, Vivo clocked a 28 per cent market share by volume in the Indian smartphone market in the second quarter of 2020 making it the largest brand in the country (by volume) in mainline retail.

The brand also announced that it has completed six years in India.