Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi is to begin selling mobile accessories to the US, UK, France and Germany through its Mi.com online store, its first step towards entering the Western market.

The fast-growing company has expanded to dominate the Chinese market over the past few years, as well as showing strong performances in various other Asian markets, thanks largely to its low-priced Android devices and innovative community-driven marketing.

To begin with, the companys smartphones, which retail for a fraction of the cost of other manufacturers high-end devices, will not be available to American and European customers, with the store instead focusing on the companys wide range of accessories.

Among the devices available to buy will be the firms Mi Band fitness tracker, power packs and Mi Headphones, all of which retail at highly competitive prices.

One of the reasons the company may have decided not to include its smartphones in the expansion is due to legal and patent issues; the firm was recently banned from selling in India due to a patent claim by Ericsson that was upheld by Indian courts.

Another issue may be the popularity of manufacturer deals with mobile networks in the US and other Western markets, which makes it harder for new manufacturers to break in and establish themselves.

However, even an accessories-only launch goes a long way to internationalise a brand that has managed to achieve astounding success in a relatively limited market compared to other manufacturers, and the company is surely planning further expansions should it see positive results from this initial push.