OnePlus India just announced that device owners would be able to use OPPO service centers from April. This news coincidentally comes after a report that the company could exit global markets as soon as next month. It now sounds like OnePlus is making a massive retail change in India.
Unnamed sources told Moneycontrol that OnePlus India plans to effectively shut down offline retail operations as part of a shift to an online-first business model. The manufacturer has apparently asked partner-run exclusive stores to shut down. It’s believed that only three company-owned stores might remain in business.
The outlet adds that distributors and offline retail partners are also affected by these moves:
Distributors in the general trade channel have also been given a deadline of March 31 as their final billing date. They have been asked to clear remaining inventory without any transition period, raising concerns about recovering outstanding credit. Similarly, modern retail partners have been informed that billing will pause for several weeks after March 31, with upcoming product launches — such as the Nord 6 — expected to be sold exclusively on Amazon.
Sources also hinted to Moneycontrol that OnePlus’s announcement of expanded after-sales service was meant to “reassure” customers ahead of offline retailers shutting down. Nevertheless, it sounds like OnePlus is definitely downsizing operations in India at the very least.
This is just the latest chapter in a saga that started back in January, when we first heard rumors that OnePlus could be shut down. OnePlus India CEO Robin Liu refuted these claims at the time, but OnePlus confirmed to Android Authority this week that Liu had departed the company. This news was quickly followed by a report that OnePlus could shutter global operations as soon as next month.