OnePlus India has just announced that device owners will be able to use OPPO service centers since April. This news comes coincidentally after a report that the company could exit global markets. as soon as next month. Now it looks like OnePlus is making a massive retail shift in India.
Anonymous sources said money control that OnePlus India plans to effectively shut down offline retail operations as part of a shift towards an online business model. Apparently, the manufacturer has requested the closure of exclusive stores managed by its partners. It is believed that only three company-owned stores could remain in operation.
The media adds that distributors and offline retail partners are also affected by these movements:
General trade channel distributors have also been given a deadline of March 31 as the final billing date. They have been asked to liquidate the remaining inventory without any transition period, raising concerns about the recovery of outstanding credit. Similarly, modern retail partners have been informed that billing will stop for several weeks after March 31, and upcoming product launches, such as the Nord 6, are expected to be sold exclusively on Amazon.
YesOurs also hinted money control that OnePlus’ announcement about expanding after-sales service was aimed at “reassuring” customers ahead of the closure of offline retailers. However, it seems like OnePlus is definitely scaling back its operations in India, at the very least.
This is just the latest chapter in a saga that began in January, when we first heard rumors that OnePlus could close. OnePlus India CEO Robin Liu refuted these claims at the time, but OnePlus confirmed Android Authority this week that Liu had left the company.. This news was quickly followed by a report that OnePlus could close its global operations next month.
