realme expects to achieve 20pc market share this year

Kolkata, Feb 19 () The Chinese smartphone makerrealme on Wednesday said it is confident to double its salesand hopes to achieve 20 per cent market share in 2020, eventhough the industry growth in India is expected to be flat inthe current year.

The mobile maker has acquired around 9 per centmarket share after it had launched its operation in India in2018, a company official said.

"We are confident to double the sales as we moveaggressive for offline presence. By end of 2020, we expect toenjoy around 20 per cent market share," realme India Cadhav Sheth said on the sidelines of the launch of its C3model in the city.

The size of the smartphone industry in 2019 was around158 million and the overall market is expected to grow at alow single digit in the current year, he said.

Asked whether increasing data tariff is affecting theadoption of smartphones, Sheth said it is not the "decisivefactor".

The company claimed that its manufacturing activitieshave not been disrupted in India in the wake of outbreak ofcoronavirus in China.

The smartphone maker has decided to expand its networkin tier-II and tier-III cities in the current year.

"Since early 2019, realme has forayed into offlinechannel and so far, we are available in 1,800 stores in 50cities. We will expand our network to 40,000 with a footprintin 400 cities across the country in the current year," Shethsaid.

Online sales contribute around 70 per cent of itssales while both the channels will contribute equally in thenext year, the official said. BSMBDC BDC