South Korea’s LG to exit global smartphone business

Group has struggled to compete with likes of Apple, Samsung and low-cost Chinese rivals

South Korea’s LG Electronics will close its lossmaking smartphone business after years of struggling to compete against rivals ranging from Apple to low-cost Chinese upstarts.

The Seoul-based group announced on Monday that it would formally exit the industry and instead focus on growth areas such as vehicle components. LG has lost ground in smartphones as the global market has become more saturated. It has also faced pressure from cheaper Chinese competitors in the low-to-mid end segment while being outmaneuvered by Apple and local rival Samsung Electronics in the premium part of the market.

The company’s mobile phone business has posted cumulative losses of nearly $4.5bn over the past five years, with its global market share falling to about 2 per cent, according to research provider Counterpoint.

The business reported Won5.2tn ($4.6bn) of sales last year, or 8.2 per cent of LG’s total revenues. “We will end production and sales of the mobile phone business due to its continued slump amid stiffer competition,” the company said in a regulatory filing. “We will improve our business portfolio by efficiently focusing our resources on core areas.”

The company added that its withdrawal from smartphones would improve its competitiveness and financial status in the long term, although the decision could dent short-term sales. Recommended News in-depth

LG was a big player in the global mobile phone market prior to the emergence of feature-laden smartphones, where it was a latecomer. Investors had called for the company to wind down the smartphone business, arguing that it represented a misallocation of resources that weighed on LG’s stock market valuation, despite robust sales of premium home appliances and televisions.