Freed from US sanctions since its acquisition in 2020, the manufacturer leads sales in China. And it expands its target in Europe.
Years go by, US sanctions rain down on Chinese industry, but George Zhao remains. For the first time in the company’s history, on September 2, Honor’s CEO hosted a launch event at IFA, Europe’s leading consumer electronics trade show held annually in Berlin. Featured, the Honor 70, a mid-range smartphone sold for 549 euros, which is part of a major offensive by the Chinese manufacturer. Computers, tablets, mobiles… You are working hard to make up for lost time.
Created in 2014, Huawei’s former youth brand is experiencing a second youth. Sold to a consortium of Chinese companies in the fall of 2020 to survive outside US sanctions, Honor has massively recruited, growing from 8,000 to 13,000 employees. It manages its own R&D teams and production lines. And the results are surprising: at the beginning of the year it stole the leadership in sales in China from Apple, according to Canalys, with a 20% market share. A first confirmed by IDC in the second quarter, with a 19.5% market share, four times more than a year ago.
rekindle relationships
Honor has also relaunched the machine in Europe, following the difficulties linked to the sanctions that affect Huawei.
“In particular, we must take care of building new relationships with operators and distributors”, summarizes Tony Ran, European director of the brand. In France, the team includes about forty people. “We have changed our positioning, develops Mylène Poncet, director of marketing for the manufacturer in France. Before, we were a 100% digital brand aimed at young people. Now, we serve the needs of each consumer, regardless of segment or distribution. channel.” Its range extends from 179 to 1,099 euros. Alliances have been forged with Fnac Darty and SFR. The brand is present in Orange, Bouygues Telecom and Free, only on the Internet.
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