New Delhi, Mar 10 (IANS): Chinese smartphone brand Vivo on Wednesday said it is all set to open nearly 100 exclusive stores across India this year.

Currently, the smartphone maker has 550 retails stores across the country and by the end of this year, it aims to cross the 650-mark, according to Nipun Marya, Director Brand Strategy, Vivo India.

"Overall, Vivo is the leader in the offline market in terms of market share. This has been quite encouraging for us. We have become number one because we have made the right investment at right places," Marya told IANS.

Vivo entered the premium smartphone segment last year with the X-series in India that was manufactured at the company's Greater Noida facility.

Marya said that the company is set to launch new products like X60 series this month in the country, and five-six more smartphones in the premium segment soon.

Vivo is expected to bring its X60 series with a Snapdragon 870 chipset on March 22.

"Apart from new products, we are focusing on marketing investment. We are back as title sponsor of the Indian Premier League (IPL)," he noted.

With a growing appetite for premium smartphones, consumers are looking for a premium device that elevates their smartphone experience.

"We believe that Vivo has built a strong brand-value in India. It's the right time to expand our product offering," Marya said.

"We are hopeful that our entry into the premium smartphone segment will change the benchmark in mobile photography".