Xiaomi phones to be sold in Three stores in UK, Italy, and other European markets

Xiaomi has been slowly expanding into different markets outside of China over the past few years and now you can add the U.K. and several other European countries to its roster.

The Beijing-based firm today announced that it has partnered with CK Hutchinson to bring Xiaomi products to Three Group Europe stores in Austria, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Sweden, and the U.K.

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Three — one of the four major carriers in the U.K. — has confirmed that Xiaomi phones will be sold in stores across the country in the near future. This marks the first time Xiaomi phones will be officially available to buy in the region without having to resort to importing websites.

“We have been watching Xiaomi’s success from afar and impressed with the huge range of connected devices that they currently offer,” said Tom Malleschitz, chief digital officer at Three’s U.K. division.

“This partnership provides us with another leading brand in our smartphone range and also opens the door for innovative new connected products that we can provide to Three customers in the future. So watch this space.”

While the big news here is that Xiaomi’s Mi and Redmi series phones will go on sale alongside the likes of Samsung, Apple, LG, and more in the U.K., we shouldn’t forget that Xiaomi has a much wider portfolio than just smartphones, including smart home gadgets, TVs, laptops, wearables, and mobile accessories.

The official announcement (via Reuters) notes that Xiaomi products — presumably those that are smart health-focused — will also be sold in Hutchinson’s health and beauty subsidiary Superdrug in the U.K. and Ireland, as well as Watson’s Fortress and Kruidvat stores in the Netherlands and Hong Kong, respectively.

Xiaomi first entered the European market with the launch of the Mi A1 and Mi Mix 2 in Spain late last year. Perhaps buoyed by recent growth and major successes in India and Africa, Xiaomi has also teased that it could start bringing its phones to the ultra-competitive U.S. market by the end of 2018 or early 2019.

It’s no coincidence that its latest expansion has been confirmed on the same day the Chinese company filed for an IPO in Hong Kong where it is expected to raise $10 billion at a bare minimum and potentially up to $100 billion.

We’ll keep an ear open for any word on which Xiaomi products will make it to U.K. shores and beyond, but for now, let us know your thoughts on Xiaomi’s big news in the comments.

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