Covid-19 Impact: Handset cos cut store hands

New Delhi: Handset companies in India have started reducing their retail store workforce, or in-store promoters, in the absence of sales during the ongoing nationwide lockdown, while Xiaomi and some large-format and multi-brand retailers have sought rent waivers for at least three months.

HMD Global and Lenovo-Motorola are reducing in-store promoters and cutting incentives for retailers, people familiar with the matter said. With no sales taking place, retailers are asking not to be billed for at least a quarter and they will not take fresh stock because they already have unsold inventory. “There’s no doubt that the ongoing impact of Covid-19 is taking its toll on markets and like many businesses, this pandemic has impacted ours,” a spokesperson for HMD Global, the maker of Nokia handsets, said in a statement, without commenting on layoffs.