Huawei India plans to open 1000 experience stores across the country by 2020.

The first 100 such stores are already in planning or construction in partnership with the brand’s retail partners, offering consumers the chance to try out its flagship handsets. They will also display Huawei’s growing range of smart devices including laptops, speakers and watches.

“We are initiating the offline expansion with our new flagship device… we are aggressive globally with our offline strategy and we are replicating the same in India,” said Wally Yang, senior marketing director at Huawei Consumer Business Group, in an interview with The Economic Times.

He said Huawei was experiencing strong growth in the premium smartphone market globally and believes India will give similar results.

“Our positioning is different, and so is the target audience. We are targeting consumers that are looking for high-end tech,” he said.

Huawei is investing US$100 million in tackling the Indian market. Its low-cost brand Honor is already selling there both offline and online and the two brands already account for 3 per cent of Indian smartphone sales. From next year it is targeting market share growth of between 5 per cent and 10 per cent, said Yang.

“India is important for the company’s global product strategy.”