HTC eyes 15% Indian smartphone market, to open 7000 outlets

New Delhi: Expanding its retail presence across the country, Taiwanese handset maker HTC today said it will be adding about 3,000 outlets in the next six months. The company, which currently has about 3,500-4,000 retail outlets, will also be strengthening its service delivery network by adding 100 service points in the next three quarters. “We are planning to increase our retail outlets to 7,000 in next six months and 100 additional service points will be put up in the next three quarters,” HTC country head Faisal Siddiqui told PTI. The company currently has 250 service points. Siddiqui said the company is changing its distribution model and has more national distributors now. [caption id=“attachment_1164073” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] HTC Desire 500 is seen in this file photo.[/caption] “We are reworking our distribution model. Earlier, we used to have one national distributor but now we have four distributors nationally,” he added. The company launched a new device under its Desire series, the Desire 500 at a price of Rs 21,490. The phone features a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 8 megapixel camera and 4.3 inch display. “The Desire range has become renowned for bringing a premium mobile experience to the mass market… the Desire 500 is no different. It is perfect for people who are always on the go,” Siddiqui added. The company now has 6-7 models in its Desire series, priced between Rs 12,500 to Rs 30,000. Siddiqui said the company wants to achieve 15 percent market share in the domestic smartphone market but refused to share a time-frame for it. It will also launch 4-8 devices across different price points in the next six months. PTI