India’s Mobile Retailers Urge Ban on iQoo, Poco, OnePlus Over Unfair Competition

iQoo Poco OnePlus demanding for banning in India

India’s Mobile Retailers: AIMRA demands ban on iQoo, Poco and OnePlus, calls for cancellation of their licenses. Says these brands are anti-competitive and harming local business and Indian economy. Has sought intervention of Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

AIMRA represents over 1.5 million mobile retailers in India. Says these brands have exclusive distribution agreements with Amazon and are bypassing traditional retail. This is killing local retailers and denying government revenue from offline sales.

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“Despite CCI reports and persistent follow-ups, these companies continue to violate regulations by maintaining exclusive agreements with e-commerce platform Amazon and refusing to distribute products through retail stores," stated Kailash Lakhyani, Founder and Chairman of AIMRA.

Also, AIMRA is concerned about unauthorised product diversion from online to offline channels and unfair trade practices.

Lakhyani explains the negative impact on local business and Indian economy:

Retailers Marginalised: Exclusive online distribution reduces opportunities for local retailers.

Tax Revenue Reduced: Grey market and online only sales deprives government of GST revenue.

Consumer Choice Limited: Customer loses bargaining power and has limited choices as products are not available offline.

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Vivo’s sub-brand iQoo is a classic example of this. iQoo sells most of its products through online platforms like Amazon, Flipkart and its own online store despite repeated requests for wider retail distribution. AIMRA has demanded action.

"IQOO smartphones, a sub-brand of Vivo Mobiles, which is currently under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate for a money laundering case. Additionally, Vivo’s name has surfaced as an offender in the latest findings by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). Despite our persistent efforts, we have encountered continuous delays and no progress in billing retailers," Lakhyani said.

"We request your intervention to escalate this issue to the Hon'ble Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal, and Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, calling for the cancellation of licenses for such companies. It is crucial to protect local businesses and uphold fair trading practices in our country," Lakhyani stated in a letter to Member of Parliament Praveen Khandelwal.

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