(Yicai Global) March 12 – Xiaomi Inc, a leading Chinese mobile phone manufacturer, recently opened its first direct-sale airport store at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in the southern Guangdong province as major online technology firms increasingly open brick and mortar businesses.

The new airport store opened for business on March 10, along with four other new stores, located in Changsha, capital of central Hunan province, Jiaozuo and Yuzhou in central Henan province, and Jinzhou in the northeastern Liaoning province, Shenzhen Evening News reported. Xiaomi will sell mobile phones, laptops, travel accessories and daily needs products at the airport physical store.

Xia has so far opened 330 direct-sale stores in 186 cities in China. It  aims to open at least 30 more stores in Guangdong province, an insider said.

Shenzhen is a key city to implement Xiaomi's offline new retail business plan, said Lei Jun, founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi, and by setting up a store at the airport, it can ensure more people enjoy convenience of new technology products. In the future, Xiaomi will open more new stores at transportation junctions such as airports and high-speed railway stations in major cities across China, Lei added.

Xiaomi's successful sales and product innovation policies have placed it among the world's top five smartphone vendors last year despite the global mobile phone market shrank. Its smartphone shipment jumped 74.7 percent year-on-year, with sales of 92.4 million units, according to market intelligence firm IDC. Its sales have also rebounded in China, the world's largest smartphone market, after some setback in the previous years.