Xiaomi India says it opened 500 retail stores in one day in India late last month.

The Chinese electronics retailer has bannered the network Mi Stores – smaller, compact versions of the Mi Home stores, developed for mainly rural parts of India.  

“The company created a Guinness record for opening the maximum number of stores in one single day,” said Manu Kumar Jain, VP of Xiaomi Global and MD of Xiaomi India.

“Xiaomi plans to open 5000 Mi Stores by the end of next year. This new business will forever change rural retail in India.”

As well as the Mi Home stores, the company is continuing to roll out its larger flagships, the fourth of which opened in Bengaluru in September.  

Xiaomi India has been growing rapidly since it launched online, initially focusing on mobile phones. Since then it has expanded into other home electronics and is now moving into other retail categories such as luggage and apparel.