Xiaomi has closed down the first and only Mi Store in the UK

Xiaomi has confirmed to Android Authority that the first and only UK Mi Store is no longer open for business. The store, which was located in the Westfield shopping center in Sheperd’s Bush, London, officially closed on March 5, 2020.

The Twitter account for the store is now offline (thanks to reader Daniel Bertman for the tip) and the Westfield London website has been updated with a disclaimer that the UK Mi Store is no longer open for trading.

In a statement, a Xiaomi spokesperson said of the decision to close the UK Mi Store:

This adjustment to our local retail strategy is a reaction to our fast growing business in Western Europe. Since our official arrival in the UK over one year ago, we have loved building relationships with our users, Mi Fans and partners and thank them all for their support. UK users and Mi Fans can continue to purchase Xiaomi products through our official website mi.com/uk and other official channels that will be announced along with our product launches in the future.

The UK Mi Store first opened its doors in late November following the Chinese brand’s official (and somewhat turbulent) entry into the UK market. The move followed rapid growth for Xiaomi across Western Europe, beginning with its debut in Spain in 2017. Since then, the brand has risen to fourth in overall market share across Europe and in Q3 2019 it reported a staggering 73% year-on-year growth according to research firm Canalys.

Android Authority visited the store shortly after its busy opening day where it welcomed queues of Xiaomi fans and other consumers.

In addition to a range of phones from across Xiaomi’s Mi, Redmi, and POCO brands, the store also stocked accessories, wearables, a litany of weird and wonderful smart home devices, as well as screwdrivers, umbrellas, and even electric scooters.

As well as the Mi UK website, Xiaomi phones — including the recently released Xiaomi Mi Note 10 — and other devices can also be bought online in the UK through Amazon UK.

Did you get a chance to visit Xiaomi’s UK Store while it was still open? Let us know in the comments.