A China-founded provider of Internet-connected business devices including point-of-sale terminals has set up its first North American showroom in Atlanta, a key U.S. hub for electronic payment processing.
Sunmi, a business-to-business tech firm that has expanded globally after an early investment from Chinese smartphone and automotive giant Xiaomi, has picked the Sandy Springs complex encompassing the iconic King and Queen skyscrapers (Concourse Parkway) for a flagship demonstration center where existing and prospective customers can get hands-on experience with its devices.
These range from handheld retail terminals that resemble smartphones to tablets and desktop devices able to process payments and help retailers and warehouses maximize space and manage inventory.
Like Xiaomi in the smartphone sector, Sunmi has introduced a customized version of the Android mobile operating system tailored for business use. Soon after the company’s founding in 2013, Xiaomi and food-delivery giant Meituan-Dianping came on as Sunmi’s early investors. Later rounds included funding from Ant Financial (the company behind Alipay).
Sunmi set up its overseas headquarters in Singapore in 2024 to spearhead further global expansion rooted in localizing its products for each successive market.
Located on the 17th floor of the King building, Sunmi HOME 2.0’s Atlanta store is targeting the restaurant, retail and logistics sectors as it localizes operations in the North American market.
The expansion will include a local headquarters that will grow sales and build the Sunmi brand, though a news release didn’t outline any concrete plans for hiring.
[Update: The company has hired former Payrilium Executive Vice President Shan Ethridge as its senior vice president of key accounts for North America in Atlanta.]
Growth in the U.S. comes amid heightened tariffs on Chinese goods in the U.S., even after the two sides reached a pause in a tit-for-tat trade war that saw tariffs on both sides soar to more than 100 percent. Those measures have been paused for 90 days during ongoing negotiations, but Chinese goods still face a 30 percent tariff coming into the U.S. market.
Sunmi launched the center May 22 with a visit by Lin Zhe, or Jack Lin, the company’s founder, as well as Chief Marketing Officer Sam Su, who highlighted Atlanta as the first of six planned Sunmi HOME centers in the U.S.
“Atlanta is a central hub connecting the east and west coasts of North America. Leveraging this headquarters, regional offices and local warehouses along with employees, we will provide customized (business) IoT solutions through our global supply chain and production network,” Mr. Su said in a news release. “Our ecosystem partners are essential as we work together to deliver comprehensive industry solutions that enhance user experience.”
Other Sunmi HOME locations around the world have included coffee shops, new-parent areas, digital order kiosks, large screens demonstrating back-end dashboards for tracking sales and inventory, and Sunmi t-shirts and other promotional items.
As of 2020, Sunmi reached 1.9 million devices in circulation.
See the new location’s details and a photo here
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