realme expects to achieve 20pc market share this year

The Chinese smartphone maker realme on Wednesday said it is confident to double its sales

and hopes to achieve 20 per cent market share in 2020, even though the industry growth in India is expected to be flat in

the current year. The mobile maker has acquired around 9 per cent

market share after it had launched its operation in India in 2018, a company official said.

"We are confident to double the sales as we move aggressive for offline presence. By end of 2020, we expect to

enjoy around 20 per cent market share," realme India CEO Madhav Sheth said on the sidelines of the launch of its C3

model in the city. The size of the smartphone industry in 2019 was around

158 million and the overall market is expected to grow at a low single digit in the current year, he said.

Asked whether increasing data tariff is affecting the adoption of smartphones, Sheth said it is not the "decisive

factor". The company claimed that its manufacturing activities

have not been disrupted in India in the wake of outbreak of coronavirus in China.

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

"Since early 2019, realme has forayed into offline channel and so far, we are available in 1,800 stores in 50

cities. We will expand our network to 40,000 with a footprint in 400 cities across the country in the current year," Sheth

said. Online sales contribute around 70 per cent of its

sales while both the channels will contribute equally in the next year, the official said.