Nokia 5, Nokia 6 availability affected by GST, retailers not ready to accept stock
According to the company's schedule, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 were supposed to hit the Indian market in the first week of July but owing to the mega tax reform, GST, the phone's launch might get delayed.
- Jun 26, 2017,
- Updated Jun 26, 2017 12:23 PM IST
Nokia launched the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 in India and made Nokia 3 available in offline stores earlier this month. According to the company's schedule, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 were supposed to hit the Indian market in the first week of July but owing to the mega tax reform, GST, the phone's launch might get delayed.
Though HMD Global is ready with the supply, the stores are hesitant to stock up the goods considering the initial fluctuations under GST. According to a report by India Today Tech, there will be a delay as much as a few weeks after GST is launched in the country.
Introduction of the new tax structure will affect the retailers directly, leading to extra caution at their end. According to the report, the shopkeepers want to keep a clear slate (no stocks in this case) as a measure of precaution. However, HMD Global has assured that they have considered GST while pricing the devices and will stick to the current pricing despite the new taxes.
"The Nokia 6 and the Nokia 5 prices already take into account the GST tax rates. The GST rollout will not affect the prices of the Nokia phone that have been announced so far," said a senior Nokia executive. The Nokia 6 is priced at Rs 14,999 while the Nokia 5 will be sold with a price tag of Rs 12,899.
Since the delay is more on the retailer end, it's hard pin-point a specific date when the devices will be launched. However, once the tax structure is well received and understood by the retailers, the devices will be made available to the consumer. The company is all ready with the infrastructure in place and is solely waiting for retailers to start taking delivering.
In a bid to clear stocks many offline and even online retailer are launching pre-GST sales during the last week of this month. The new tax structure will be implemented on July 1 and is expected to take around a month to settle with entire market flow.
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Nokia launched the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 in India and made Nokia 3 available in offline stores earlier this month. According to the company's schedule, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 were supposed to hit the Indian market in the first week of July but owing to the mega tax reform, GST, the phone's launch might get delayed.
Though HMD Global is ready with the supply, the stores are hesitant to stock up the goods considering the initial fluctuations under GST. According to a report by India Today Tech, there will be a delay as much as a few weeks after GST is launched in the country.
Introduction of the new tax structure will affect the retailers directly, leading to extra caution at their end. According to the report, the shopkeepers want to keep a clear slate (no stocks in this case) as a measure of precaution. However, HMD Global has assured that they have considered GST while pricing the devices and will stick to the current pricing despite the new taxes.
"The Nokia 6 and the Nokia 5 prices already take into account the GST tax rates. The GST rollout will not affect the prices of the Nokia phone that have been announced so far," said a senior Nokia executive. The Nokia 6 is priced at Rs 14,999 while the Nokia 5 will be sold with a price tag of Rs 12,899.
Since the delay is more on the retailer end, it's hard pin-point a specific date when the devices will be launched. However, once the tax structure is well received and understood by the retailers, the devices will be made available to the consumer. The company is all ready with the infrastructure in place and is solely waiting for retailers to start taking delivering.
In a bid to clear stocks many offline and even online retailer are launching pre-GST sales during the last week of this month. The new tax structure will be implemented on July 1 and is expected to take around a month to settle with entire market flow.
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine