Lenovo has applied for single brand retail license for opening company owned showrooms in India, reports ET Telecom. The company’s Indian turnover from smartphone sales has been on the rise - from $700M last year to $1.3B this year, and it expects company operated showrooms to help make a bigger impact. MediaNama was able to independently verify the development. As of now Lenovo sells various laptops, netbooks, tablets, desktop PCs and smartphones in India. The company also owns Motorola, which sells its own handsets. Lenovo also manufactures smartphones in India - it had started in August last year in a partnership with Flextronics at its Sriperumbudur plant. At the time, it said it planned to manufacture six million units of smartphones by both Motorola and Lenovo during the fiscal. Interest in single brand retail on the rise: Chinese smartphone maker LeEco had also sought approval for opening single brand retail shops and an ecommerce portal in India in April this year. The company planned to open exclusive retail stores across top cities in India including New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. The same month, Xiaomi also sent an application to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) for opening single brand retail stores in India. Similarly, in January, Apple too had applied to the DIPP, seeking permission to open single brand retail stores and an e-commerce business in the country. Relaxation of local sourcing norms: Interestingly, Apple, LeEco and Xiaomi had applied for exemption of local sourcing rules. The government…
