Apple to Open First Retail Store in India Next Year: Tim Cook

Feb. 27, 2020

“I don’t want somebody else to run the brand for us”, he was quoted as saying.“We wouldn’t be a very good partner in retail. We like to do things our way”, the Apple CEO mentioned. Apple currently has third-party reseller outlets to sell its devices in the country.

There are reports that Apple has leased a location in Mumbai for its upcoming branded retail store but the company is yet to reveal the location. Apple’s exclusive online store isexpected to start functioning in the third quarter this year. The Cupertino-based tech giant is currently selling its devices in India via third-party offline retailers and e-commerce platforms like Flipkart and Amazon.in.

Welcoming thegovernment’s decision to ease the 30 percent local sourcing normin single-brand retail (SBRT), Apple said last year:“We appreciate the support and hard work by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team to make this possible and we look forward to one day welcoming customers to India’s first Apple retail store”.

According to Navkendar Singh, Research Director, IDC India, Apple is known for its retail stores, the experience they provide in terms of purchase, staff knowledge and other services.“Considering the importance of offline as a channel in a diverse country like India, where consumers love to touch, feel and experience the products, the stores are a very important touch-point for any consumer company”, Singh told IANS.

Theplan for opening owned storeswill certainly help Apple in giving a controlled experience of its devices and services as it intends and designed them to be.“In a third-party retail environment, many such things cannot be controlled by the brand. This will only add to the strong premium positioning Apple enjoys in the country”, Singh added.