Xiaomi opens first brick-and-mortar store in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES -- Chinese technology firm and consumer electronics maker Xiaomi opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Argentina on Thursday, bringing the brand closer to its Argentine customers.

"Argentina is, of course, a very important market for Xiaomi," Song Han, the brand's country manager in Argentina, told Xinhua, saying the opening of the store is part of Xiaomi's expansion plan.

Located at Abasto Shopping, downtown Buenos Aires' largest shopping center, the store displays various kinds of Xiaomi products ranging from smartphones, TVs, robotic vacuum cleaners to electric shavers, toothbrushes and skateboards.

Xiaomi's products will be distributed in Argentina by the company Solnik-Etercor, whose CEO, Juan Pablo Baiardi, said he is looking forward to catering to and building up the brand's local fan base.

"We know there is a community of fans of the brand, and managing to channel it through an official store strategy is something that we have been trying to do for a long time," Baiardi told Xinhua.

Baiardi said the Xiaomi brand has to be localized and the opening of a physical store in the heart of the Argentine capital now has created jobs.

Founded in 2010, Xiaomi now has presence in more than 100 countries and regions around the globe, and is known for its smartphones.