China’s top smartphone maker, BBK Group had previously used Oppo Mobiles India as its sales and distribution channel, for three brands; Oppo, Realme, and OnePlus. However, in response to increased government scrutiny, BBK Group has decided to reorganize this sales setup to reduce business risks.
Oppo, Realme, and OnePlus – Separate Sales Operations
The new approach involves giving each brand independence over its sales and marketing teams. This helps prevent all brands from being grouped under one entity in case of government interventions. Realme Mobile Telecommunications (India) has already begun wholesaling Realme smartphones and other tech products through this setup as per filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC) accessed via the business intelligence platform Tofler.
These filings indicate a shift in the model of Realme Mobile Telecommunications (India) which now holds the license for the Realme brand from Realme Chongqing Mobile Telecommunications Corp. It will handle operations, marketing, distribution, after-sales service, and related functions for the brand.
Although recent filings from OnePlus show that a similar structure is not yet in place, at OnePlus Technology India – an entity currently focusing on marketing, brand promotion, and professional services – industry insiders suggest that it may also add sales and distribution responsibilities to its scope soon.
At the moment of composing this message, Realme and OnePlus have not responded to the emails. Before Oppo Mobiles India combined sales and post-sales service earnings, Oppo, Realme, and OnePlus revealed a revenue of ₹51,994 crore in the year 2022 23 as per RoC documents.
BBK Group also owns the Vivo and iQOO brands, managing their sales in India through Vivo Mobile India, which recorded sales of ₹29,875 crore in the same fiscal year. Consequently, BBK Group emerged as India’s largest smartphone conglomerate, with a combined revenue of ₹81,870 crore from all its brands in FY23, surpassing Samsung’s mobile phone business revenue in India of ₹70,292 crore and Apple India’s revenue of ₹49,321 crore, as reported by RoC filings.
Earlier reports by ET indicated that BBK Group has been implementing various changes in its India operations to mitigate risks and align with government directives issued during informal discussions with Chinese companies.
