OnePlus lays off employees in Europe to focus on key markets

OnePlus launched its latest flagship phones, the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, around two weeks ago and now the Chinese smartphone maker has reportedly laid off several workers in Europe.

According to sources close to the matter, many regional offices namely UK, France and Germany have been downsized by as much as 80 per cent, leaving skeletal teams of around three people in some countries, Engadget reported recently.

“Europe is a very important market for us and has been since the beginning of OnePlus. We are doing some strategic restructuring in Europe, and in fact are even hiring in the region,” the report quoted company”s spokesperson saying.

However, the teams in Denmark, Finland, Netherlands and Belgium appear to be unaffected, as these are the markets where OnePlus apparently sees most potential.

The changes has nothing to do with the pandemic, but as the company raced towards premium 5G smartphones, carriers like O2 and EE discontinued their partnerships with the brand in the UK.

As per Ben Wood, Chief Analyst at CCS Insight, ”OnePlus has fallen into the trap of over-promising and under-delivering”. The company is struggling hard to maintain relationships with carriers in Europe.

―Outlook India